CBI books govt body chief for diverting funds for personal use

President of a Hyderabad-based government institution — responsible for the spread of Hindi language in South India — was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly diverting government funds for personal use.

M Sita Lakshmi, president of Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachara Sabha (DBHPS) between 2011 and 2015 and her daughter M Padma were named in an FIR lodged by the probe agency under sections for criminal misconduct, conspiracy, breach of trust, forgery and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The action was taken after a complaint by the current president of the institution P Obaiah who accused Lakshmi of funneling government funds worth ~48 lakh .Obaiah has accused that the duo diverted funds to construct an English medium school Navyodaya Vidya Niketan on the personal property of Padma in Visakhapatnam.

According to the FIR, Sita Lakshmi allegedly withdrew ~48 lakh, through self-drawn cheques from DBHPS account at Andhra Bank, Arilova Branch in Visakhapatnam between 2014 December and April 2015.

The complaint further says that when Lakshmi was confronted by the management of the institution, she allegedly admitted to wrongdoings and was removed from her post on November 18,2016 .

“After the committee demanded to see accounts, Lakshmi admitted in writing that ~48 lakh was spent by her to develop her personal properties. She promised to repay the amount with interest in three months. She requested the committee to refrain from approaching the police and the committee agreed. But as she did not return the money within the stipulated period, the organisation issued legal notices which she ignored. The committee had a meeting and a resolution was passed and sent to Central Sabha Madras to remove her from the post of president and also cancel her membership," the complaint reads.

To "safeguard" its reputation, DBHPS also wrote to the DEO of Visakhapatnam to cancel the recognition of the English medium School allegedly built by the two.

DBHPS, according to its website, was established by Mahatma Gandhi in 1918 "with the sole aim of propagating Hindi in southern states".From 1964, the Centre had authorised it to issue certificates in Hindi proficiency and its branches are in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Guntakal and Rajhmundry.