Keonjhar/Hatadihi: Allegations are flowing thick and fast regarding irregularities in the expenditure of Keonjhar DMF funds. Things have come to such a pass that allegations regarding corruption and procedural violations are surfacing regularly. According to the rules, a government employee is not entitled to receive a salary twice a month.
However, information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act reveals that three government employees were allegedly paid salaries from the DMF fund along with their regular wages. This matter has now reached the Orissa High Court and demands have intensified for recovery of the disbursed amounts along with interest. Pradipta Kar, Sitanshu Jena, and Uday Narayan Jena, all government employees, were initially working at the Keonjhar District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). Later, they were transferred to Keonjhar’s District Mineral Foundation (DMF). Pradipta and Sitanshu served as senior revenue assistants during their tenure, but both have retired. Meanwhile, Uday continues to work as a junior revenue assistant.
Despite receiving their government salaries, it has come to light that the three employees drew additional amounts amounting to Rs 1.94 lakh from the contingency fund of the DMF between October 1, 2017, and July 2024. Specifically, Pradipta collected salaries from the DMF from October 2017 to May 2021 while Sitanshu from June 2021 to January 2024. Similarly, Uday has also been drawing salary from the DMF fund April 2024 onwards. This practice is reportedly not in compliance with the law.
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It is worth noting that the district collector serves as the chairperson of the DMF, and the Project Director (PD) of the DRDA and Zilla Parishad acts as its CEO. All approvals and disbursements related to fund usage are made under the signatures of the chairperson and CEO. However, questions have come up as to how these government employees, already receiving regular salaries, were additionally compensated from the DMF fund. Residents have demanded a detailed investigation to determine accountability and initiate legal proceedings to recover the full amount.
