Minister Ashish Sood stated on Wednesday that Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has ordered an investigation into alleged corruption in the 'Jai Bhim Pratibha Vikas Yojana', a scheme run by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi.
New Delhi: The 'Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana', operated during Arvind Kejriwal's government in Delhi, is now under scrutiny due to allegations of corruption. Delhi's Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, has ordered an official investigation into the alleged scam of ₹145 crore in this scheme. The current Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, and the BJP government have leveled serious allegations against the AAP government regarding this entire matter.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta says that the Kejriwal government approved bills worth ₹145 crore for a scheme with a budget of only ₹15 crore.
What is 'Jai Bhim Pratibha Vikas Yojana'?
Launched by the Delhi government in 2020-21, this scheme provided free coaching to students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in private coaching institutes to prepare for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, and NEET. The aim was to ensure that meritorious students from economically weaker sections are not left behind due to expensive coaching.
The scheme had an annual budget of ₹15 crore. However, allegations are now surfacing that during the Covid period in 2021-22, fraudulent bills worth ₹145 crore were passed.
Where did the questions arise from?
Delhi government's SC/ST Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj and Minister Ashish Sood claimed in a press conference that during the Corona period, when most coaching institutes were either closed or conducting online classes, bills worth ₹145 crore were prepared and passed in the name of private coaching institutes. The ministers allege that these bills did not have any proof of the students' actual attendance, nor did they have their results or documents of appearing in the exams. Despite this, a large sum was released from the government treasury.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has issued orders for an investigation into the matter. He says that if any irregularities are found based on the facts that emerge in the preliminary investigation, strict legal action will be taken against the culprits. According to the Lieutenant Governor, the misuse of Delhi government funding is a serious crime and cannot be ignored under any circumstances. He also said that if needed, the matter will be handed over to the CBI or the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
AAP Party's Reaction
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reacted sharply to this entire matter. The party says that the BJP government is trapped in political vendetta and is trying to defame public welfare works like education and health. The AAP issued a statement saying, "Investigate every brick of Delhi government schools, every syringe of Mohalla Clinics. But when you are full of vengeful politics, start doing some real work for Delhi."
AAP called it a deliberate conspiracy by the BJP to tarnish the image of the AAP government and said that the BJP has nothing to do with the real issues of the public.
Political Stir Intensifies
The alleged scam has heated up the politics in Delhi. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has directly put former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his team in the dock. Rekha Gupta said that corruption was done through fake bills in the scheme under which students were to be benefited. She posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Serious financial irregularities have come to light in the Jai Bhim Pratibha Vikas Yojana. Now there will be a thorough investigation. How the tax money of the people of Delhi was looted will come to light."
According to experts, if the allegations are proven true in the investigation, many former ministers and officials of the Delhi government may get caught in corruption cases. Earlier also, allegations of misuse of funds have been leveled against many departments of the Delhi government, but this time the matter is being considered more serious due to it being directly related to education and the SC/ST category.
