The Yogi Government has detected a scam to the tune of Rs 107 crore in the State Panchayati Raj department leading to action against 13 officials including a retired Director Panchayati Raj.
On the approval of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the department has ordered a vigilance probe into the entire matter related to release of performance grant to tainted panchayats between March and May this year.
The department has suspended 12 officials including four in the State headquarters and rest in the districts, disclosed UP Minister of State for panchayati raj Bhupendra Choudhury here on Sunday.
The suspended officials were additional director Rajenda Singh, Chief Finance officer and accountant Keshav Singh, Additional Director Panchayat SK Patel and deputy director Girish Chandra Rajak, all posted at the headquarters in lucknow.
The other suspended officials are district panchayat officer Deoria , SP Singh and district panchayat officer Sultanpur Arvind Kumar along with six additional district panchayat officers of Deoria.
The then Director Panchayat Anil Kumar Damle, who had headed the committee to recommend the peformance grant to villages, though have retired from service but department inquiry has been ordered against him
The Minister while giving details of the irregularities said that the committee had sanctioned Rs 699.72 crore for 1,798 gram panchayats of 31 districts on March 21,2017. These panchayats were selected on the basis of their performance and audit of 2013-14 and 2014-15. The funds were also released in two installments in March and May, 2017.
“During the initial probe by the department it was found that of the total 1,798 villages selected for the funds, 1,123 were tainted as they had bad record in financial utilisation,” Choudhury said adding that the then Government asked the banks not to release the funds sent by the Government but still Rs 107 crore were distributed to the villages.
He claimed that of the total Rs 699.75 crore the government was successful in retaining Rs 593 crore and just Rs 107 crore were misused.
The Minister said that the department would also initiate action to realise the money from the concerned officials.
“The Government has already ordered a vigilance probe into the matter on the directive of the Chief Minister and more action was on cards after the investigation report is submitted,” he further added.
The BJP Government in UP came to power on March 19,2017 and this was the first major scam detected during its own regime.