| Fake students, training only on papers | | After Baramulla, ST scholarship scam worth crores unearthed in Jammu | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, May 27: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has uncovered another massive scam involving misappropriation of crores of rupees meant for the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Jammu.
Earlier similar scam was detected in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
In the post-matric ST students scholarship scam, the then Director of Tribal Affairs, M.S. Choudhary, along with owners of several private computer institutes, has been booked for allegedly diverting government funds through fake student lists and bogus training records. The accused institutions operated without proper accreditation and received direct payments from the government without verification. The scam, which occurred between 2014 and 2018, has caused significant losses to the public exchequer.
Earlier on April 29, ACB had unearthed a major scam in the Education Department, where senior officers allegedly embezzled Rs 27 lakh meant for tribal students in Baramulla. The accused fabricated names of non-existent students and inflated beneficiary rolls to siphon off funds.
In fresh case, ACB has exposed a massive scam involving the misappropriation of crores of rupees allocated for a post-matric scholarship scheme intended for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. The scandal implicates the former Director of Tribal Affairs, M.S. Choudhary, along with several private computer institutes, in a fraudulent scheme that siphoned off funds meant for underprivileged students in remote areas.
Case Registered Against Ex-Director and Institutes
The ACB has filed FIR No. 09/2025 under the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the RPC, naming Choudhary (now retired) and owners of multiple private institutes. Those charged include: Shanaz Akhtar Malik, Catalog Computers, Jammu
Humera Banu and Firdous Ahmed, Chirag Institute of IT, Jammu
Sham Lal Targotra, JK The ACB has uncovered another massive scam involving misappropriation of crores of rupees.
The money was meant for the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Jammu.
Earlier a similar scam was detected in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Jaffer Hussain Wani, Ever Green Institute of Computer Technology, Jammu
Parshotam Bharadwaj, Global Institute of IT, Jammu
Ramneek Kour, Pankaj Memorial Charitable Trust, Jammu
Puneet Mahajan, Supertech (India) Computer Education, Jammu
The accused allegedly violated guidelines by disbursing funds to unrecognized institutes for unapproved courses, defrauding the Government of India’s scholarship program for ST students.
The post-matric scholarship scheme, launched by the central government, provided ₹18,000 per student plus a ₹2,300 maintenance allowance to support ST students’ post-secondary education. However, investigations revealed that fake student lists were created, with institutes submitting forged documents for students from remote areas. Funds were disbursed without verifying the institutes’ accreditation, infrastructure, or course delivery.
Many students listed as beneficiaries never enrolled or attended the reported computer courses, while others only partially participated. In some cases, institutes opened fake bank accounts in students’ names to divert maintenance allowances. Several institutes lacked accreditation from the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), yet received substantial payments between 2014 and 2018.
The ACB found that officials, in collusion with institute owners, manipulated records and bypassed guidelines, leading to a massive loss to the government exchequer. The scam, which ran from 2014 to 2018, involved crores of rupees meant to uplift ST students being funneled into the accounts of fraudulent institutes.
The ACB continues its investigation to identify additional culprits and recover the misappropriated funds. This scandal has raised serious concerns about oversight in scholarship programs and the exploitation of vulnerable communities in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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