The government has attached Block Development Officer (BDO) Khovripora here along with two other officials in the multi-crore MGNREGA job card scam exposed by this newspaper.
On the basis of the findings in the preliminary report ofthe inquiry committee, the BDO Khovripora, the Panchayat Secretary, Akhura, andthe Gram RozgarSahayak, Akhura have been attached with the Directorate of RuralDevelopment, Kashmir till further orders. “The officers/officials shall remainattached with the Directorate RDD, Kashmir till the committee submits its finalreport to the government for taking further course of action,” reads an orderissued in this regard.
Taking cognizance of a report published in Greater Kashmiron May 14, Commissioner/ Secretary RDD Sheetal Nanda had constituted ahigh-level team headed by her Additional Secretary Sudharshan Kumar to conductthe inquiry.
Acting swiftly, the team comprising Director RDD, Kashmir,QaziSarwar, and Deputy Director Planning, Muhamad Ashraf, seized records fromthe office of Block Development Office (BDO) Khovripora and also visitedvarious houses to check the veracity of job cards issued to them.
The preliminary report confirmed “the brazen irregularitiesin issuance of job cards, but the inquiry team would be visiting the Khovriporablock in Anantnag to ascertain more details and then only submit the detailedreport,” sources said.
As reported by this newspaper, the wages drawn”fraudulently” were being deposited directly into the bank accounts of middlemenand contractors allegedly chosen by the RDD officials in the Block DevelopmentOffice.
The documents had revealed that hundreds of fake andduplicate job cards for workers under MGNREGA had been issued by the RDD,pointing to a large scale corruption in the central government schemeimplemented in J&K in 2008.
It was also reported that in some cases governmentemployees, deceased people and minors had been shown as beneficiaries. In somecases it was found that a single person was holding multiple job cards underdifferent registration numbers.
The flagship program guarantees 100 days of employment topeople from rural areas, without a government job. The job card is provided toa family head holding a ration card.