A performance audit of the Post-Matric Scholarship Schemes implemented for providing financial assistance to Scheduled Castes (SC)/ Other Backward Class (OBC) students pursuing higher studies in Haryana for the period 2015-2019 brought out deficiencies in planning and financial management, inadequate scrutiny of applications of students, irregularities in disbursement of scholarship, suspected fraudulent payment, weak monitoring mechanism, etc. The department did not evaluate the outcome/ effectiveness of the schemes. While the total financial implication of this Performance Audit is INR 89.05 crore including suspected fraudulent payments, some of the significant audit findings are summarised below:

1. Annual Action Plan and database of eligible students to ascertain coverage of SC/ OBC students under the schemes was not prepared. (Paragraph 2.1.6.1)
2. Only 52.24 per cent applicants were paid scholarship during 2015-19, while 37 per cent of approved cases were not paid Scholarship. Technical Education Department did not pay scholarship totalling to INR 17.98 crore to 7,757 students though the amount was sanctioned and drawn from the treasury. (Paragraph 2.1.6.3)
3. Funds drawn in anticipation of expenditure were kept in bank accounts and unspent funds were not deposited in Government account resulting in loss of interest of INR 6.43 crore to the State exchequer. (Paragraph 2.1.7.2)
4. Suspected fraudulent payment of INR 18.98 crore was made by manipulating Aadhaar numbers of students. (Paragraph 2.1.8..1)
5. Payment of scholarship of INR 9.65 crore was suspected to be fraudulent as their details could not be verified with supporting records. (Paragraph 2.1.8.2)
6. Inadequate scrutiny of income/ caste certificates, etc. of students resulted in irregular payment of scholarship totalling to INR 1.91 crore. (Paragraph 2.1.8.6)
7. Suspected fraudulent scholarship payments totalling to INR 4.74 crore was made to students studying outside the State. (Paragraph 2.1.8.7)
8. Monitoring mechanism was weak. Evaluation of the schemes to assess its outcome/ effectiveness was not conducted. (Paragraphs 2.1.9.1 and 2.1.9.2)