A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 1
Fleeing Naga students are yet to reach Nagaland till the filing of this report. Around 150 Naga students from Nagaland had to leave a college of engineering and technology in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, midway into their course after their scholarship, promised by the government of Nagaland in Kohima, failed to arrive. They had run up a bill of Rs 1.86 crore. Sources from the Eastern Naga Students Union Dimapur (ENSUD) disclosed that some of the students are now taking refuge in Delhi. “We are trying our best to arrange some alternative for these fleeing students,” said the sources. It is not clear the condition of the fleeing students.
Meanwhile, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has expressed its shock saying, “It is shocking to hear the news of 150 unfortunate students who have had to leave their college in Modinagar, UP, midway into their course owing to non-payment of scholarship to the college by the Government of Nagaland.” In a press note issued by its president K Therie, the NPCC said, “The future of 150 students selected under the scholarship programme cannot be just thrown away”.
It is apparent that the scholarship money has already been released to the State by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2014. “Therefore, the Government should explain to the people what has taken them over a year to pay up,” it stated while adding, “Such harassment and ill treatment of our own children - our future - cannot and will not be tolerated. Responsibility for the unacceptable lapse should be fixed immediately on whoever has mismanaged the issue and the Government of Nagaland should resettle the affected students to their college without further delay.”
