Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 23 2010:
The Minister of Minorities and Other Backward Classes (MOBC) in the SPF Government led by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has been found embroiled in a major scam involving departmental funds.
MOBC Minister Md Allaudin Khan, while keeping in abeyance many departmental schemes as well as students' scholarships, withdrew Rs 10 lakhs in the name of TA/DA.
Moreover, Rs 70 lakhs deposited in the DDO account of the department has also disappeared mysteriously.
A well placed source informed The Sangai Express that the Ministry of Minority Affairs sanctioned Rs 70,60,400 to the MOBC Department for distribution as grant to beneficiaries of different schemes during 2006-07 and 2008-09 .
The same amount was deposited in the DDO account.
But when the department initiated process to release the deposited amount so as to implement different schemes against which the amount was sanctioned, the same amount was found already withdrawn.
The amount sanctioned by the Ministry of Minority Affairs was meant for different economic development programmes, skill development programmes, prematric scholarship, post-matric scholarship, grants to Wakf Board and the State Haj Committee.
The amount was found already withdrawn in the course of an investigation conducted by the State Vigilance Commission.
The amount was deposited in the account of former DDO K Lokhol Singh who was also the Deputy Director-I of the department.
Of the total amount sanctioned by the Centre, Rs 25,24,980 should be used for economic development, Rs 27,72,540 for skill development, Rs 5,54,650 for prematric scholarship of 2007-08 and Rs 1,07,770 for postmatric scholarship of 2006-07 .
The same amount included Rs 3,28,040 and another Rs 3 lakhs to be given to Wakf Board as grants for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 fiscal years, grant of Rs 2.50 lakhs for Haj Committee and another Rs 2,28,420 for hiring different godowns at Mantripukhri.
As the huge amount was found withdrawn using the signature of the former DDO, the Vigilance Commission has recommended the State Government to recover the swindled amount from the former DDO and also to institute a departmental enquiry against him under the Manipur Pubic Servants Personal Liability Act.
Interestingly, the former Deputy Director/DDO was already suspended in connection with the same scam.
Moreover, a departmental enquiry is already under progress against him, said a source in the department.
Even as the former Deputy Director submitted a statement to the Director detailing about the Rs 65,87,413 he utilised, no documents fit to serve as evidence for the amount he released could be recovered.
As per the statement he submitted, a sum of Rs 10 lakhs was given to the MOBC Minister as advance TA/DA.
While a sum of Rs one lakh was given to ex-Minister Abdul Salam, Rs 15,000 was given to two student bodies.
All these amounts were released part by part.
Notably, the whole amount sanctioned by the Ministry of Minority Affairs entails that it should not be utilised in any manner other than areas prescribed by the Ministry.