The move was criticised as being arbitrary and referred to as collective punishment, which was against social justice.
Published Nov 14, 2023 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 14, 2023 | 10:00 AM
(Representational image/iStockPhoto)
The decision by the Labour Ministry of the Congress-led Karnataka government to cut the scholarship amount of children of construction labourers in the state has not gone down well with not only the beneficiaries, but also education experts and political rivals.
They called the move arbitrary, and termed it a collective punishment, which was against social justice.
The scholarship amount was slashed by 80-85 percent right from the school level to the higher educational courses.
The Karnataka government has attributed its decision to a combination of dearth of funds and a huge surge — in some cases four-fold — in the number of applicants, a bulk of them suspected to be bogus.
Taking a dig at the decision of the Congress government in Karnataka, KT Rama Rao, BRS working president and IT Minister in poll-bound Telangana, posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Wah Scamgress Wah 👏 Elect Clowns, All you get is a Circus. Karnataka is a classic example Reject Scamgress, Vote for Progress”
Wah Scamgress Wah 👏
Elect Clowns, All you get is a Circus. Karnataka is a classic example
Reject Scamgress, Vote for Progress https://t.co/3GpJRZSjYz
— KTR (@KTRBRS) November 12, 2023
Incidentally, with Karnataka Congress heavyweights campaigning for the grand old party in the state, the BRS has stepped up its attack on the party and its western neighbour, hoping to yet again stoke the “Telangana sentiment” ahead of the Assembly polls on 30 November.
Karnataka scholarship cuts
The Labour Ministry received over 13 lakh applications seeking scholarships for the academic year 2022-23. Out of this, the department identified seven lakh students as genuine beneficiaries and granted them scholarships.
However, it also observed that there had been a massive rise in the number of holders of bogus cards in this category of scholarships — especially over the past three years, during which the BJP was in power in Karnataka.
Sources from the Labour Ministry told South First that the maximum number of applications received annually for all the schemes of student scholarships from children of construction workers did not exceed 3 lakh in the previous years.
However, the ministry received over 13 lakh applications this academic year, pointed out the sources.
The ministry attributed this four-fold increase to the issue of bogus cards to ineligible people by the previous BJP-ruled regime.
Congress leader and Karnataka Labour minister Santhosh Lad, in reply to KT Rama Rao, claimed on X that illegal labour cards had increased from 12 lakh to 55 lakh in the last three years.
“We have at present given record number of educational allowance to 9 lakh students with the amount of ₹225 crores in comparison to 3 lakh given earlier. We are cleaning the entire machinery messed up, Already identified more than 9 lakh fake cards as of now,” he added.
The illegal issuance of cards increased the number of fake applications for the schemes in the construction board, he said, adding that hurdles had also been created in the board due to “numerous unnecessary, unsurveyed and illogical schemes” that were “announced, without proper judgment”.
He also said: “Now we are working to fix them all! Once this work is completed, the correct number of labours will be available.”
The whistle blowers should understand reality.
In the last 3 years illegal Labour cards have increased from 12 lakh to 55 lakh.
We have at present given record number of educational allowance to 9 lakh students with the amount of ₹225 crores in comparison to 3 lakh given… https://t.co/pamXOB4qWd
— Santosh Lad Official (@SantoshSLadINC) November 12, 2023
A government order from the Labour Ministry issued on 30 October announced revised scholarship amounts. The list showed drastic cuts to the existing scholarship amounts.
An X handle named Voice of Parents’ Association posted: “Cash-strapped Karnataka cuts scholarship funds. Labour dept has decided to cut the scholarship amount by 80-85% from the school level to higher educational institutions. Students pursuing engineering or medical, and other masters will be hit hardest. Misplaced priorities. Children need education for self enablement, not freebies @Madhu_Bangarapp @drmcsudhakar @SantoshSLadINC”
Cash-strapped Karnataka cuts scholarship funds.
Labour dept has decided to cut the scholarship amount by 80-85% from the school level to higher educational institutions. Students pursuing engineering or medical, and other masters will be hit hardest.Misplaced priorities.…
— Voice Of Parents Association ® (@VoiceOfParents2) November 12, 2023
Educator and National Coalition on the Education Emergency member Gurumurthy Kasinathan told South First that it was wrong on the part of the Karnataka government to take such a decision.
He said this was collective punishment — even for the deserved ones — and that was against social justice.
“For instance, if 30 out of 100 students avail the scholarships fraudulently, it is not fair to punish the other 70 who are rightfully entitled to them,” he asked.
“The government cannot take such steps arbitrarily and unilaterally. It is injustice meted out to deserving students who are living in poverty,” he added.
“The government should implement a foolproof mechanism by which it can weed out the bogus ones,” Kasinathan said.
Educationist Niranjan Aradhya VP told South First that the migrant population in any state was the most vulnerable community. They and their children needed support from the government.
“The construction business does not occur at a fixed place. It keeps moving from one place to another. And the construction labourers also move from one place to another, which makes them a vulnerable community,” he explained to South First.
“The government cannot jump to conclusions and decide something irrational like the recent revision of scholarships. Why should the children, who are entitled to their scholarship, lose them?” asked Aradhya.
The Labour Ministry cited insufficient funds for this move. According to educationists and experts, students pursuing degrees in engineering, medicine, and postgraduate courses would be hit the hardest.
