The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a chargesheet in a high-profile misappropriation case involving MGNREGA funds in Doda district. The challan was submitted before the Hon’ble Court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Doda, in connection with FIR No. 25/2015 registered at Police Station VOJ (now ACB) under Sections 5(1)(d) read with 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, Svt. 2006, and Sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468, and 471 of the RPC.
The chargesheet has been filed against the following individuals: Hukum Singh, then Assistant Executive Engineer, REW Sub-Division Bhaderwah, Barkat Ali, then Naib Sarpanch, Panchayat Gurekhra, Kartar Singh, then Secretary Panchayat/VLW, Gurekhra, Mohd Aslam, then Technical Assistant (contractual), BDO Office Bhalessa, Choudhary Ikhlaq Ahmed, then GRS, Panchayat Gurekhra
Case Background:
The investigation revealed that during the financial years 2012–13 and 2013–14, fictitious and fraudulent payments were made under the MGNREGA scheme in Ward Nos. 1 and 2 of Panchayat Halqa Gurekhra, Block Gandoh, District Doda. The payments were released for works that were either unexecuted or only partially completed.
Further irregularities include: Payments made to government employees and financially sound individuals not eligible under the scheme.
Inclusion of names of individuals who were not physically present at the worksites. Several unskilled labourers were falsely shown to have worked beyond the permissible 100-day limit in a financial year.
Cases where the same individual was marked present at two different sites simultaneously or listed multiple times in muster rolls. Muster rolls with overwriting, cuttings, and missing signatures of responsible Block officials. Discrepancies between actual and recorded measurements of the work.
Instances of work being diverted from the originally sanctioned sites to other locations.
The ACB has stated that these fraudulent practices led to the illegal diversion and misappropriation of government funds meant for rural employment.The case is currently under judicial consideration.(KINS)
