Now Reading: PAC to move privilege motion against six state chief secretaries
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PAC to move privilege motion against six state chief secretaries
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday, 15 October 2026, decided to initiate privilege proceedings against chief secretaries of six states for skipping a meeting on delays in disbursing pre- and post-matric scholarships to Scheduled Caste students. PAC chairman K.C. Venugopal said the committee unanimously resolved to move a privilege motion before the Lok Sabha Speaker against the officials of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Bihar.
The Indian Express and Hindustan Times both quote Venugopal calling the delays, ranging from four to seven years between 2017 and 2022, 'shocking' and saying state governments are not giving top priority to the matter. The Hindu reports that the PAC also grilled the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry over 'fraud markers' flagged by a 2025 CAG audit, including same caste certificates used by multiple beneficiaries in Uttar Pradesh, common bank accounts in Odisha, and ₹13 crore paid in Haryana where Aadhaar and bank details did not match. The ministry has been given one month to submit an action-taken report.
Update, 17 October 2026: Hindustan Times now reports the privilege motion targets seven states including Maharashtra, while The Indian Express and The Hindu name six. Hindustan Times adds that the CAG report was tabled on 30 March 2026 and flagged ₹19.98 crore in excess payments. All three confirm the PAC's decision and the one-month deadline for the ministry.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All three outlets report the PAC's decision and Venugopal's comments, though Hindustan Times adds that the privilege motion covers seven states including Maharashtra, while the others name six. The Hindu provides the most detail on the CAG's fraud markers and the financial scale of the schemes, including the ₹52,878 crore spent from 2017-24, while The Indian Express and Hindustan Times focus on Venugopal's remarks about coordination failure. The uniform core fact is the privilege motion, the differences are in the granularity of the CAG findings, with The Hindu's fuller account offering the clearest picture of the audit's concerns. The Social Justice Ministry has one month to submit its report.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): thehindu.com (neutral report), indianexpress.com (neutral report), hindustantimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
