Vigilance police on Friday arrested Sundargarh district’s Nuagaon block WEO Purna Chandra Majhi and project manager of an NGO Simanchal Nayak for misappropriating Government funds of `71.80 lakh under the Integrated Vegetable Farming and Mushroom project for Scheduled Tribe people.
The State SC and ST Development Department had approved the project to be implemented by the ITDA through NGOs in Nuagaon and Kuanrmunda blocks for sustainable livelihood of ST people belonging to the BPl category. Accordingly, the ITDA had awarded the Public Interest and Welfare Activities Association (PIWAA), an NGO, to implement the project.
It was alleged that the NGO officials misappropriated the money in connivance with the ITDA and Horticulture officials of Panposh, Rourkela during 2013-14. The Vigilance, during enquiries found that while there were 143 ST (BPl) beneficiaries in village Bagdega, PIWAA project manager Simanchal Neyak apparently misappropriated Rs 39,48,000 in connivance with Horticulture and ITDA, Panposh officials by preparing a list of 707 beneficiaries. Similarly, they misappropriated Rs 32,34,000 in village Jhariatoli by preparing a list of 557 ST (BPl) families against actual number of 95 beneficiaries, informed an official release.
The release further informed that the Vigilance police have registered cases against Horticulture Assistant Directors Sushil Kumar Seth and Sarada Prasad Nayak, Nuagaon block WEO Purna Chandra Majhi, ITDA Panposh Secial Officer Sushanta Kumar Das, and PIWAA project manager Simanchal Nayak. Both the cases are under investigation. The Vigilance police arrested WEO Majhi and PIWAA project manager Nayak on Friday, informed Vigilance SP (Cordination), Cuttak in a release.