A well organised racket of siphoning of government funds by showing imparting education through Madarsas surfaced in Moradabad. Interestingly, the district minority welfare officer, who was deemed to be monitoring the proper utilization of funds claimed to have no information about the madarsas whom he sanctioned huge government grant on regular basis. He also refused to give details claiming that the minority institutions did not come under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI).
The above sensational fact came up during initial probe by Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usman, who now claimed to have ordered the district magistrate of Moradabad, to complete a probe within a month and sent report so that appropriate action could be initiated against the guilty. Usman also imposed a cash fine of Rs 25,000 on the minority welfare officer of Moradabad, for concealing the information about disbursement of government funds.
Disclosing the above gross irregularities committed by the minority welfare department in Moradabad, Usman said here on Monday afternoon that a social activist knocked at his court apprising him that how the government money has been siphoned off in the name of imparting education in madarsas, many of which just exists on papers in Moradabad. The activists informed that he filed a RTI with the district minority welfare officer in Moradabad, through which he sought report regarding amount of funds given to madarsas for modernisation, to pay wages to teachers/principals, their educational background, appointment procedure, addresses and other details of the madarsas whom the grant has been sanctioned etc.
Usman claimed that the minority welfare officer not just refused to give information but what is more surprising that he also claimed to be having no such records particularly the grant given to madarsas and in their proper utilization. Information Commissioner further said that a got the matter probed initially and was stunned to learn that many of the madarsas are just running on papers. He claimed that when there is not even building of some madarsas in Moradabad, but the minority welfare department was issuing them huge grants in the name of imparting education and other scholarships to children of the minority community. Besides, four madarsas were shown running just on one plot.
Usman said that to get in-depth report on the irregularities and siphoning off of government money, he now handed over a probe to district magistrate of Moradabad, asking him to find out the total government grant given to madarsas, make physical verification of building, staff and students and whether the children were getting their right dues or everything is just running on papers. He claimed that stern action will be taken in the matter once the enquiry report would be submitted with him.