As Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) failed to release scholarship amount for hostel and mess fee, students from Jammu and Kashmir alleged that a Jharkhand based university has asked them to manage the expenses on their own.
The students selected for Bachelors in Dental Sciences (BDS) under Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS) in 2012 at Vananchal Dental College, which comes under Nilambar-Pitambar University Jharkhand, are facing problems of accommodation following MHRD’s failure to release the money for hostel and mess fee.
According to the aggrieved students, the College management has warned them that they will not be allowed to stay in hostel this year and also have to manage mess expanses on their own.
“As per scholarship scheme, not only mess and hostel charges, MHRD has to provide books and instruments for us, but since 2010, we have been buying books and instruments with our own money,” one of the students said.
Almost 34 students are presently studying in Vananchal Dental College but due to PMSSS failure in releasing the said money, students are facing trouble.
“I belong to a poor family and cannot afford hostel and mess fee. Had I known that the things would reach to present situation, I would not have accepted the scholarship in the first instance, nor taken admission in this college,” another student said.
Despite HRD Minister, Smriti Irani promising to release full payment for students who got selected under PMSSS when Member of Parliament Mehbooba Mufti raised the issue with her, the students are still facing many problems due to non-payment of the money.
When contacted, Scholarship in charge of Vananchal Dental College, Sumit Raj said, “Rs 36,000 is the hostel and mess charges for one year but this year MHRD have only released Rs 10,300 till now.”
He said if MHRD will not release full amount for hostel and mess charges, the students have to manage both the expenses on their own.
“We have already sent letter to R S Rathore, Jammu and Kashmir incharge in MHRD but till now we did not get any response,” Raj added.
About books and instruments, he said “since 2012 we did not get money for books and instruments.”
