Timely disposal of stipend to SC , ST students:HC

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Timely disposal of stipend to SC, ST students:HC

   The Orissa high court expressed satisfaction over the release of stipends to around 15 lakh students belonging to scheduled castes(SC) and scheduled Tribes (ST) in the state. The approval came after perusal of an affidavit filed by the SC & ST development department filed in pursuance of an HC order on a PIL seeking intervention against inordinate delay in the disbursal of stipends to SC and ST students.

    Prabir Kumar Das, a high court lawyer, filed the petition in 2014 in the backdrop of the alleged suicide by Banita Naik(14), an SC student of Class VII who was studying in a government school in Ganjam district, in June of that year.

    The girl allegedly procured kerosene and set herself ablaze after her parents said they did not have enough money to buy her basic stationery like pencils and notebooks and other study materials. She later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. The petition also sought adequate compensation for her death.

   On December 15 last year, the HC directed the state government to file an affidavit placing on record how many applications for grant of stipends to SC and ST students were released in 2022. The HC further sought to know within what period the applications were processed and orders passed and in how many cases the stipend amounts were disbursed.HC also expected the state government to place on record the precise instructions on how quickly these applications are processed, decided and benefits disbursed including the modalities of such disposal.

   

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       The two-judge bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishanker Satapathy said, "The affidavit dated January 11, 2023, has been perused. It sets out the modalities by the state government for disbursal of the pre-matric scholarships among the SC and ST girls. It states that every year approximately 15lahksh SC and ST(students) are availing of pre-matric scholarships. Further instructions appear to have been issued to the concerned district welfare offices to monitor that all eligible beneficiaries get the scholarship in time."

   

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 "Given the above steps taken by the state government no further directions are necessary to issue at this stage," the bench said while disposing of the petition. The bench also said that no further orders regarding compensation for the girl's death in 2024 will be passed as the state government had already paid Rs1 lakh ex gratia in the case.