Post News Network
Baripada, Feb 23: Funds to the tune of Rs 2.85 crore granted by the Sarva Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) for construction of school buildings and lying in the bank accounts of the concerned schools for the last eight years have been recovered by the sanctioning authorities.
Managements of 81 schools in Mayurbhanj district have failed to utilise funds granted to them under SSA, the Centre’s flagship programme, to improve the quality of elementary education in the country.
On the direction of the programme commissioner, the funds have been directly transferred to the bank account of SSA. As the funds were sanctioned in phases, the concerned bank authorities have taken time to calculate the interest amount. The interest would also be recovered, sources said. However, funds to the tune of over Rs 1 crore from 19 more accounts are yet to be collected due to lack of sufficient balance. The process of recovery has already begun, the sources added. Reports said the funds were sanctioned to these schools in several installments starting from 2007. The Union government refused to grant further funds and directed the schools to refund the amount which was not utilised.
The non-utilisation of funds for eight years has raised several questions. While the reason for the irregularity was not immediately known, some alleged the money was kept to bungle the interest over the deposits. Some SSA officials are in soup over the issue, the sources said. Earlier, a technical consultant (TC) was given more than Rs 1 crore as advance while another TC’s house was raided for accumulating wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, the sources said. In the second case, the TC was given `30 lakh as advance. Investigations in both the cases are still on. While the funds had been granted to complete unfinished school buildings, the concerned authorities reportedly spent the money for other purposes.
Baripada tehsildar Diganta Kumar Routray who is in-charge project coordinator of SSA said letters were issued to the schools on several occasions to refund the grant. While action was taken against many, some cases are under probe.