Parliamentary panel to move privilege motion against absent chief secretaries

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday unanimously resolved to move a privilege motion against the chief secretaries of seven states for their absence at a critical meeting focused on delays in disbursing pre-matric and post-matric scholarships to Scheduled Caste (SC) students.

PAC chairman KC Venugopal described the delays in scholarship disbursements as "shocking," emphasizing that the failure of senior state officials to attend the meeting reflected poorly on institutional accountability. The committee chair also flagged the absence of adequate coordination between the Centre and states as a "serious issue" that has contributed to the scholarship bottleneck affecting vulnerable student populations.

The decision to pursue privilege proceedings against the errant chief secretaries marks an escalation in the committee's efforts to ensure compliance from state-level administration on matters of national importance. The PAC, tasked with examining public expenditure and governance issues, has demonstrated its resolve to hold senior officials accountable for non-compliance with parliamentary oversight mechanisms.

The privilege motion is expected to serve as a formal censure and corrective measure, signaling to state administrations the committee's expectation that senior officials must prioritize attendance at meetings addressing critical welfare schemes. Officials familiar with the matter indicated that the PAC intends to follow up with a comprehensive review of the scholarship distribution framework to identify systemic gaps and recommend remedial action.