Jai Bhim Scheme Scam: ₹145-Crore Coaching Fraud Jolts Delhi

Paromita Das

New Delhi, 18th July: What started as a bold welfare initiative to empower underprivileged students has now spiraled into a full-blown corruption controversy. The Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana, a flagship scheme by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi, is under intense scrutiny. Allegedly manipulated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the scheme is now the subject of a ₹145-crore fraud investigation ordered by Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Designed to offer free coaching for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, NEET, and CLAT to students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and minority communities, the scheme had noble goals. But the discovery of massive financial irregularities between July 2021 and August 2022 has cast a shadow over its integrity.

Coaching Dreams, Shattered by Alleged Corruption

Delhi’s Education Minister Ashish Sood and SC/ST Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh didn’t mince words. In a press briefing, they alleged that the scheme, which had an annual budget of ₹15 crore, ballooned to ₹145 crore in disbursements during the pandemic—without matching results or documentation.

Only 3,000 of the 13,000 student claims from coaching centres were found to have verifiable details. The rest lacked basic essentials—no attendance sheets, ID proofs, or even signatures of the supposed beneficiaries.

Sood pointed out, “Even if all 3,000 students received the maximum ₹1 lakh support each, the total would only be ₹30 crore. Where did the rest go?”

The Coaching Institute Conundrum

At the center of the scandal are 35 private coaching institutes that reportedly failed to verify even 100 student enrollments. These centres now face potential legal action as part of a broader Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) investigation.

Minister Ravinder Singh emphasized, “This scheme was meant to level the playing field. If people have exploited it for personal gain, they’ve robbed thousands of deserving students of opportunity.

Rekha Gupta’s First Big Move as CM

The probe was initiated following a formal recommendation by Delhi’s newly appointed Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta. The Lieutenant Governor swiftly approved it, reflecting the seriousness of the allegations.

Political observers note that this may be Gupta’s first big test as CM—managing not just a corruption investigation but also the optics of political vengeance versus genuine reform.

A Scheme Worth Saving—But Only with Transparency

The Jai Bhim Yojana is a vital idea in principle. Bharat’s education system has long been inaccessible to the most marginalized communities. Government-sponsored coaching was an equalizer in the making. However, like many well-intentioned initiatives, it appears to have been compromised by greed, mismanagement, or both.

What must be avoided now is a politicized witch hunt. The ACB should investigate thoroughly but fairly, ensuring genuine beneficiaries and ethical institutions are not collateral damage. At the same time, those who have looted public funds under the guise of social upliftment must face the full force of the law.

Reform or Ruin?

As Delhi awaits the ACB’s findings, the Jai Bhim scheme stands at a crossroads. Either it will be remembered as another cautionary tale of political misuse, or it could serve as a turning point in how welfare schemes are monitored and executed in Bharat.

For the thousands of students who trusted the system, this isn’t just a headline—it’s their future at stake. Only a transparent, accountable, and reform-driven response can restore that trust.