HYDERABAD: BRS member Gangula Kamalakar engaged in war of words with Panchayat Raj Minister Dansari Anasuya alias Seethakka over the inordinate delay in implementation of the overseas scholarship scheme for students of weaker sections, in the state Assembly on Monday.
Raising the issue during the Question Hour, the BRS legislator said that the important scheme launched by the previous BRS government led the then CM K Chandrasekhar Rao to provide Rs 20 lakh for poor students to pursue higher education overseas has benefitted a large number of students but it is not being implemented by the present Congress government.
Presenting the scheme details available on the state government’s website, Gangula stated that no student from BC, ST or minority communities have received the benefits under this scheme and added that only a few SC individuals have received benefits so far.
There has been a selection of the candidates since February 2023. No old list has been finalised and no new applications have been called for and a second installment has been released causing immense problems to the students.
The former minister said that he was speaking based on the details provided by the government on the website and sent the relevant downloaded documents to the Assembly Speaker. The government should clarify on the issue, he said.
In her reply, Seethakka claimed that the former minister was politicising the issue. She explained that the Congress government was in the process of clearing the dues which were not released by the previous government.
“The government has already released Rs 167 crore for 1,333 students and remaining Rs 25 crore would also be released in the near future,” she said and urged the former minister not to politicise the education sector.