The district councils and panchayat committees in Maharashtra have collectively defrauded Rs 9,610 crore

Over 61 years, numerous incidents of embezzlement have occurred – Pritam Nachankar

Mumbai, April 23 (News) – During the period of 61 years from 1962 to 2020, a total of Rs 9,610 crore have been embezzled in many Zilla parishads (District Councils) and panchayat samiti (committees) in Maharashtra. This shocking pattern has been revealed in the audit review report of Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis for 2019-20 in the state. The report was tabled in the recently held budget session of the legislature. Even though crores of rupees have been embezzled over the years, the amount of embezzlement has not been recovered. The report mentions various types of embezzlement in local self-government bodies such as the purchase of substandard materials, non-disclosure of expenditure payments, falsification of payments, and distribution of funds by pretending to be a bogus person.

No action against the guilty

To reach the various schemes of the government for the common people in the rural areas, there are Zilla Parishads at the district level and Panchayat Samitis at the taluka level. Funds for various schemes of government are directly received by local self-government bodies such as Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis, Government reports show that there is corruption in the maximum schemes. In many of these cases, the money has been recovered after the audit report revealed the embezzlement; but no action has been taken against the culprits.

1,751 cases of embezzlement of funds

From 1962 to 2020, there are 1,751 discrepancies in various schemes between Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis in the state. In this, there are 1,640 cases of discrepancy from 1962 to 2012. It has been mentioned in the report that cases of illegal use of funds, laxity in the use of funds, embezzlement, etc. are included.

Some statistics of embezzlement

1. A total of 326 embezzlement cases out of which 180 under Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and 146 under Gram Nidhi were pending in the General Administration Department of Thane Jilla Parishad until March 2020. Rs 4,81,10,774 were involved in this. Till March 2020, only Rs 1,63,39,359 crore was recovered from this embezzlement amount.
2. In Nashik district, 737 projects under the Gramnidhi and Jawahar Rozgar Yojana funds were embezzled, amounting to a staggering Rs 14.772 crore. Until March 2020, only Rs 3.64 crore had been recovered from these funds.
3. Pune Zilla Parishad has embezzled 210 works under Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and Gram Nidhi Yojana involving Rs 9.7613 crore.
4. As of March 2020, 811 cases of embezzlement of government funds were pending in Wardha district and gram panchayats. Out of which as much as Rs 31.961 crore were outstanding.