Minister Sood accuses AAP govt of Rs 145-cr scam in Jai Bhim Yojana
Delhi’s Home and Education Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday accused the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of a massive Rs 145 crore scam under the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana — a scheme launched to provide free coaching to SC/ST/OBC/EWS/Minority students preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, DSSSB, NEET and CLAT.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Delhi Secretariat along with SC/ST Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh, Sood alleged that the Covid period was exploited to funnel public money into the hands of a “coaching mafia” with the complicity of the then government. He claimed that fake applications, forged documents and inflated bills were used to siphon off funds meant for Dalit and economically weaker students.
“The previous AAP government used Dr Ambedkar’s name to loot the future of Dalit children. They betrayed Babasaheb’s ideals by turning a welfare scheme into a hub of corruption,” Sood said.
He said Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had recommended an investigation, following which Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena directed the Anti-Corruption Branch to carry out a detailed probe.
According to the government, the scheme — started in 2018 — initially had a budget of Rs 15 crore. During the Covid period, the coaching institutes raised bills amounting to Rs 145 crore between July 2021 and August 2022. While the institutes claimed to have coached 13,000 students, only around 3,000 could be verified, Sood said.
He said some institutes made 100 per cent fake claims, and that even if every verified student had enrolled in the most expensive course costing Rs 1 lakh, the expenditure would not have exceeded Rs 30 crore.
SC/ST Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh said nearly 35 coaching centres were under scrutiny for failing to furnish basic records to justify their claims. “A scheme meant to empower Dalit students was turned into a racket to enrich private coaching centres and party cronies,” he said.
The Chief Minister, in a social media post, accused the AAP of “misusing Ambedkar’s name for political optics while looting funds meant for Dalit welfare.” She assured strict action and vowed that “those who looted public money in Babasaheb’s name will not be spared.”
Delhi