Pbi varsity official under lens for embezzlement
The embezzlement went unchecked for at least six years and is suspected to run into crores of rupees
PATIALA: A senior assistant working in one the administrative departments of Punjabi University, Patiala, is under the scanner for fund embezzlement, which went unchecked for at least six years and is suspected to run into crores of rupees.
The university is likely to rope in the vigilance bureau for a thorough investigation into these irregularities, which came to the fore when the internal audit department and varsity’s finance wing flagged five bills, amounting to ₹6 lakh, submitted by a science department.
The stamp and signatures of the department head were fake, and even the names of research scholars and assistants against whom the bills were raised turned out to be bogus on further investigation, said an official privy to the development, on the condition of anonymity.
According to the preliminary probe, the senior assistant — who handles funds provided to the university under various heads and was posted in the same department for over a decade — used to create and submit fake bills in the name of “ghost” research scholars and assistants and siphoned off the money.
The funds mainly included those provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for development schemes, nonugc grant for research projects and scholarships given by the ministry of human resource development besides those received under Rashtriya Uchhchatar Shiksha Abhiyan. According to the university’s budget, it has received around ₹70 crore in such grants in just the past three years.
Taking swift action on the complaint received last week, vice-chancellor Professor Arvind formulated a high-level factfinding committee to file an interim report. The committee will also look into the exact amount of funds siphoned off during all these years. “The committee is likely to look into the bank details and other financial transactions of the employee as well,” said the official.
Registrar Varinder Kaushik, who is part of the fact-finding committee, said investigations are still at the preliminary stage and he could not divulge any details. “The matter is serious in nature. The V-C has directed us to conduct a thorough inquiry. The interim report will be submitted at the earliest, following which the V-C will take further action,” he said. Other members of the committee are dean (research) Ashok Tiwari and finance officer Rakesh Khurana.