Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

PMAY bribe racket busted in Allahabad, FIR against 33 people

- Kenneth John kenneth.john@hindustant­imes.com ▪ ▪

ALLAHABAD:The district administra­tion lodged FIR against 33 people, including seven gram pradhans, earlier this month after an enquiry revealed that they took cut from the beneficiar­ies of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in different blocks of Allahabad district.

The enquiry, ordered by Allahabad chief developmen­t officer (CDO) Samuel Paul N last month after he received complaints in this regard, revealed that gram pradhans and other office bearers of several gram panchayats took cut ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000 from 97 people for including their names in the list of PMAY beneficiar­ies.

While confirming the enquiry and the lodging of the FIR, project director, Gram Vikas Abhikaran, KK Singh said, “The CDO has also issued orders for realising the embezzled funds from the guilty persons.” According to rules, the fund made available to a beneficiar­y under the scheme is in three instalment­s in their bank

The CDO has also issued orders for realising the embezzled funds from the guilty persons

KK SINGH , project director, Gram Vikas Abhikaran

accounts. The first instalment is of Rs 40,000 while the second and third instalment­s are of Rs 70,000 and Rs 10,000 respective­ly.

During the enquiry it came to fore that in Ghatampur gram panchayat of Kaudihar developmen­t block, the secretary, block assistant and computer operator of the gram panchayat had got funds, allocated under the scheme to 13 beneficiar­ies, transferre­d to the bank accounts of other persons in collusion with some bank staff.

In Pannupur gram panchayat of the same block, it was found that the gram panchayat officer had got funds of some beneficiar­ies transferre­d to the bank accounts of some other persons.

Similarly, in Baharia developmen­t block’s Dalipur gram panchayat, the gram pradhan, the village developmen­t officer and another person had embezzled two instalment­s of a beneficiar­y.

Similar cases of embezzleme­nt of funds of PMAY beneficiar­ies were also detected in several other gram panchayats of different developmen­t blocks, including Baharia, Meja, Koraon, Pratapur, Holagarhm, Soraon, Koraon and Kaundhiara.

The enquiry also revealed that in Kaudihar developmen­t block, 15 ineligible people had received first instalment of Rs 40,000 under the PMAY.

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