Crores of rupees in grants looted by showing fake student enrolment in hostels !

Financial scam in Government-aided hostels in Maharashtra !
Government officials submitted false reports to the Government !

-Mr Pritam Nachankar, Special Correspondent, Dainik Sanatan Prabhat

Mumbai, 16 July – Crores of rupees in Government grants were siphoned off by showing fake student enrolment in nine closed hostels in the districts of Jalna, Latur and Buldhana. Grants were fraudulently claimed by showing fictitious student records, while honorariums meant for superintendents, security guards and cooks were also misappropriated by falsely claiming that they were employed. The serious aspect of the matter is that officials of the Social Justice Department submitted false reports to their seniors claiming that these closed hostels were functioning properly, thereby enabling Government funds to be siphoned off during the period from 2018 to 2024. This corruption, which exposes the failures of the government administration, came to light during physical inspections conducted by auditors of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

https://x.com/SanatanPrabhat/status/2077747095537381693

The CAG recently presented its report during the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature. The same modus operandi of siphoning off hostel grants and employees’ honorariums was found in all three districts of Jalna, Latur and Buldhana. Since the same pattern of corruption was detected in these districts, the possibility of similar fraud being committed in other Government-aided hostels across the State cannot be ruled out.

Shocking irregularities found in six hostels !

1. Local residents informed the auditors that the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Students’ Hostel in Jalna had remained closed for several years.

2. Not a single hostel contained textbooks, students’ footwear, clothes or other essential materials.

3. In the attendance register of Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj Girls’ Hostel, the name of one student was shown in the same class for three consecutive years.

4. As per Government rules, every hostel must maintain a one-month stock of pulses for meals. However, not a single grain of pulses was found in any of the hostels.

5. Although all the hostels showed superintendents, cooks and security guards as being employed, none of them was present in any hostel during the inspection.

6. The toilets and bathrooms of Dnyandeep Hostel for Backward Class Boys in Jalna were filled with scrap. The superintendent had submitted biometric attendance records of students for the period from 2021 to 2024. In reality, the hostel did not even have a biometric attendance system.

Crores of rupees allocated by the Government for students belonging to the backward classes have ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials. Across Maharashtra, a total of 2,388 Government-aided hostels are being run by non-government organisations. Therefore, the possibility that similar grants have been siphoned off by showing fake student enrolment in other hostels cannot be ruled out. The CAG report has raised the question of what action the Government will now take against those responsible.

What action is taken on a CAG report ?

On behalf of the Governor, the CAG report is tabled before the State Legislature. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) then conducts hearings on the irregularities, financial misappropriation and other issues highlighted in the report by summoning the Secretaries of the concerned departments. Thereafter, the PAC submits its report, along with the CAG report and the findings of its hearings, to the Legislature. The Government subsequently submits an Action Taken Report on the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee before the Legislature. The CAG audits Government schemes and submits its reports, while the Government decides the further course of action.