5-day notice served to DTE to submit details on the misappropriation & diversion of scholarship funds
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 22 (MExN): The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has expressed shock over the alleged misuse of scholarship funds by officials of Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) which was revealed in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on Nagaland state for the year ending March 31, 2017.
The ANCSU in a press release on Saturday said the misappropriation and diversion of scholarship funds amounting to crores is a direct insult to the students’ community.
It has questioned the DTE as on what grounds it has the right to “organize merry-making farewell functions, shamelessly purchasing its departmental needs, cowardly paying employee salary and self-proclaiming to be generous sponsors with the students scholarship meant only for payment of scholarship to the deserving students.”
Terming it as nothing less than daylight robbery boldly practiced by the department officials, ANCSU has vowed that it will leave no stone unturned to deliver justice to the students’ community and at the same time book the concerned erring officials as per the law.
In this connection, the ANCSU has demanded that those officials involved in the misappropriation and diversion of scholarship funds must be immediately terminated as they pose serious threat to the students’ community.
It also demanded the DTE to submit detailed report in black and white to the union within five days on the misappropriation and diversion of scholarship funds.
Rs 1.08 crore meant for scholarship scheme was diverted, embezzled: CAG
As per the CAG report, Rs 1.08 crore meant for scholarship scheme under the Nagaland State Department of Technical Education was diverted, and a part of it is suspected to have been “misappropriated” during the year 2014-16.
The CAG report for the year ending March 2017, which was tabled in the NLA on September 20, informed that of the Rs 1.08 crore, Rs 56.12 lakh was diverted for “private use,” like spending Rs 40.01 lakh for a “retired Director’s farewell.”
In addition, the CAG suspected that Rs 51.87 lakh was misappropriated. During 2014-16, the DTE received Rs 3.30 crore under the State Technical Scholarship Scheme from the Government of Nagaland.
Examination of reports in March, 2107 showed that Rs 1.81 crore was disbursed to 2,175 students through Direct Benefit Transfer, thus leaving a balance of Rs 1.49 crore. While examining the directorate’s subsidiary cash book and bank statements, the CAG found out that Rs 1.32 crore out of the balance of Rs 1.49 crore was utilised for purposes other than scholarships.
This included expenditure of Rs 35 lakh as admission fee of three candidates belonging to ‘backward tribes’ for MBBS course and consultancy fee; Rs 40.01 lakh for the farewell function of a retired Director; Rs 1.80 lakh for purchase of computers/laptops; and Rs 3.32 lakh for salaries of fixed pay employees.
According to the CAG, the department accepted the diversion of scholarship funds, and claimed that from the money, advances were granted to some staff from the scholarship fund “due to urgent needs.”
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