The Department of Social Welfare has instructed schools across the state to create the master database of all beneficiaries by October, following which it will be updated on the department's website.

The move comes in the wake of reports of fake beneficiaries siphoning off crores of rupees. Principal Secretary (Social Welfare) Balvinder Kumar said: "There are over 2.5 lakh students who receive scholarships worth Rs 1,300 crore under different schemes.

These include those from Class I to technical courses like engineering and medical." Kumar added: "Several fake cases have come to the fore. By creating a master database, we will be able to keep a record all students receiving scholarships." The state provides scholarships to students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities, besides those belonging to BPL families.

The scholarships are disbursed in three parts each year, following which the schools and institutions submit a list of beneficiaries to the state government.

Kumar added: "To ease out things, we have divided the entire process into different phases. By July 31, we will prepare a database of all schools and institutions where the scholarships are being given. By August, we have asked the schools to provide us with a list of the beneficiaries, their details and bank account numbers. By October, the technical and higher education institutions will give their lists for the database." The department has already instructed the districts to complete the first phase of work by the set deadline. "By this time (July 31), all schools are open and it is easier to prepare the database," said Kumar.