Rs 3,144 cr public money for welfare usurped
surreal_ravi
Virendra Nath Bhatt/ Lucknow
Notwithstanding the threat by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to
dismiss corrupt officers, the officials of the Social Welfare
Department seem to be brazenly misappropriating public money earmarked
for old age pension, scholarship to Dalit students and other welfare
schemes for Schedule Caste members.
The modus operandi is simple -- deposit the budgetary funds in the
saving account of a PSU bank or non-scheduled Urban Cooperative Bank.
This is being done by government departments despite standing orders
to the contrary issued every year by the Chief Secretary.
According to estimates of the State Planning Commission as on April 1,
2004, deposited Rs 3,144 crore in saving bank accounts in PSU banks.
The public sector banks and the urban cooperative banks were found to
be turning a blind eye to the legal provisions in handling such
accounts.
In Lucknow, a PSU bank opened the account in the name of Zila Samaj
Kalyan Adhikari, Lucknow on payment of cash and without seeking any
reference from an existing account holder in the bank. Flouting RBI
norms, the bank released around Rs 3 lakh in cash from the account in
five transactions.
It is learnt that the then District Social Welfare officer of Lucknow
misappropriated large sums of money meant for the old age pension and
other Dalit welfare schemes. The same official opened accounts in the
name of `Zila Samaj Kalyan Adhikari' in three other banks to handle
the `welfare' work.
On April last, Deputy Director of Lucknow Region Vikas Bahadur,
directed his deputy to lodge an FIR against the embezzlement of
budgeted funds in Kaiserbagh police station but no action was taken.
On September 18, he again ordered that the FIR be lodged but once
again the matter was ignored as the official on the dock enjoys
political patronage.
In other instance of misappropriation of government funds, the
District Social Welfare officer of Chandauli deposited Rs 1.84 crore
of the old age pension scheme in the Urban Cooperative Bank,
Mughalsarai. This amount was deposited in three accounts of the bank
opened between 1997 and 1999. This money is now `lost' as the Reserve
Bank of India imposed a ban on the banking operations of the said bank
following irregularities detected in July 1999.
For the last over five years, the money lies blocked in the bank and
the Social Welfare Department has not been able to identify the person
responsible for opening the account in the Urban Cooperative Bank.
Deputy Director of Varanasi region Ms Usha Yadav, informed the
directorate in Lucknow that the two accounts were opened in the
Cooperative Bank by the then Social Welfare Officer, Chandauli AN
Mishra, in June 1997 and June 1998.
The third account was opened in January 1999 by the then District
Social Welfare Officer Arun Kumar. In her report to the directorate
here, she said no records were available to ascertain who gave
permission for opening the accounts in a non-schedule bank.
These instances are merely the tip of an iceberg as a large part of
the Rs 1,500 crore budget of the department is being utilised in a
similar manner. Nearly Rs 640 crore is spent on scholarships alone, Rs
220 crore for old age pension and Rs 35 crore for hostel construction
and ashram-type schools. As much as Rs 170 crore goes to the UP SC
Finance and Development Corporation. The corporation loans the money
to Dalits under various employment schemes and entrepreneurship
training programmes.
Social Welfare Department Director Amit Mohan Prasad could not be
contacted for his comments since he has been deputed by the Election
Commission as a poll observer.
Torpedo
Co-accused in Rly corruption sent on 5-day remand
By Abrar Saeed
RAWALPINDI - National Accountability Bureau officials on Wednesday presented
Javid Iqbal, co-accused of former divisional superintendent Pakistan Railway
Rawalpindi Division Ziaul Qamar, before Accountability Court Rawalpindi No 3
judge Mohammad Aslam Khan and secured his five days physical remand.
The hearing in the case was put off till Oct 4.
Javid Iqbal was absconding the court proceedings for the past several months
and now NAB officials managed his arrest on Tuesday from Federal Capital and
presented the accused before the court and secured his physical remand for
five days.
Meanwhile, the same court in the corruption reference against former CDA
officials Ch Shaukat and others recorded statement of another two
prosecution witnesses after which the hearing in the case was put off till
today (Thursday) when defence counsel in the case would testify these
witnesses.
Accountability Court No 1 Rawalpindi judge Manzoor Hussain Malik in the
corruption reference against former SP Gilgit Hashmat Ullah, his co-accused
Mohammad Hayat and Mohammad Khalil recorded statements of six more
prosecution witnesses after which the hearing in the case was put off till
Oct 6 when defence counsel in the case would testify these witnesses.
Accountability Court No 2 Rawalpindi judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahoot in the
corruption reference against former managing director Sadiq Ali Khan and
co-accused Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Asghar recorded the statement of
another prosecution witness after which the defence counsel in the case
testified the witness. Later the hearing in the case was put off till Oct.
6.
The same court in the corruption reference against former secretary
Petroleum Capt. (Retd) Nasir, former general managers of OGDC Shahid Ahmad
and Jaffar Mohmand recorded statement of another witness who was later
testified by the defence counsel in the case. Now the court would take up
this case on today (Thursday) when more prosecution witnesses would depose
before the court.
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