Malda, Dec. 19: Mohammad Masud had dreamt of becoming a commercial pilot but for eight months now, the youth has been trying to get an OBC certificate to apply for a scholarship to fund his aviation course.

Even after securing first position at the entrance examination of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, an autonomous body under the ministry of civil aviation, last year and registering himself at the flying school, the 20-year-old is not sure if he will be able to get a commercial pilot licence.

Masud from Tulsihatta village in Harishchandrapur, 110km from Malda town, has been running from pillar to post since March this year trying to get an OBC certificate from the backward classes welfare department that would help him get the Commercial Pilot Licence Course Scholarship of Rs 10lakh.

The total fee at the Raebareli-based flying school is Rs 32.5 lakh for the 18-month course and Masud registered himself in March.

His father Mohammad Mohsin, a contract worker with the Sarva Shiksha Mission, said: 'Masud passed Madhyamik in 2009 from Tulsihatta High School and got 78 per cent. He passed the higher secondary exam from Chanchal Siddheswari High School in 2011 with 71 per cent and sat for the entrance test for pilot training after he saw an advertisement in a newspaper. He wrote the test at Calcutta airport on November 17, 2013 and the results came on November 23. My son stood first. But the state has been indifferent about issuing a certificate by the principal secretary of backward classes department.'

Masud has an OBC certificate issued by the local subdivisional officer.

Seventy-five students from across India had qualified for the flying course. Masud said: 'I have been told that the course will start after all scholarships are disbursed. It has to be done before March 31, 2015.'

The course fee is payable in four instalments. 'I was asked to join on March 5, 2014. For the scholarship I need an OBC certificate issued by the state backward classes welfare department. I applied for it and wrote to the ministser for backward classes development, Upendra Nath Biswas, requesting him to send the certificate to the ministry of social justice and empowerment (that issues the scholarship). But there was no communication,' Masud said. 'Earlier this month, I went to the backward classes welfare department office in Calcutta's Salt Lake but could not meet the minister. An official told me that I was wasting time as the state was not following any instruction from Delhi,' Masud said. He wrote to the ministry of social justice and empowerment. 'On December 8, deputy secretary of the ministry, C.V.L.N Prasad, wrote to the backward classes welfare department principal secretary wanting to know why I was being harassed.'

Masud's father said they did not have money to pay for the course. 'Sabitri Mitra, also a minister, wrote to Biswas but nothing happened,' he said.

Mitra said: 'I had sent a recommendation to the backward classes welfare minister. I do not know why he has not responded. I will have to find out.'