look news india
These days, a very shocking and big financial fraud has come to light from the Education Department of Bihar, which has created a stir in the administrative corridors. The case of illegal withdrawal of more than Rs 35 crore 27 lakh by thousands of teachers and education department employees working in different districts of the state through fake documents, wrong salary determination and disregarding the rules has come to light. When the senior officials of the department and the Vigilance Cell explored this deep layer of financial irregularities, everyone was shocked to see the figures. A total of 7202 teachers and personnel were found involved in this illegal game. However, after this the Education Department took a tough stand without any leniency and launched the recovery campaign on a war footing, as a result of which till now a huge amount of about Rs 33 crore has been recovered from the government treasury. In this detailed report, we will tell you how this entire fraud was exposed and how the department’s action cracked down on these fraudsters.
How the secret was revealed: The whole game of illegal withdrawal of salary and allowances through fraudulent means
This financial scam, spreading from the capital Patna to remote rural areas, came to light when the Education Department conducted a digital audit of the salary distribution, service book and financial records of teachers across the state. During the audit, it came to light that there were many teachers and employees in different districts of the state who were continuously being sent an amount much more than their actual pay scale or entitlement. In some cases, even people who had left the job or whose documents were found to be completely fake continued to draw salaries. When the officials of the Directorate of Primary and Secondary Education investigated it deeply, it was found that taking advantage of collusion and administrative slowness, a total of 7202 teachers and employees together made illegal withdrawal of Rs 35 crore 27 lakh from the government fund. After this revelation, there was an uproar in the department and instructions were issued for immediate action.
Education Department’s swift action: strict notice and big step of stopping salaries
Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the Additional Chief Secretary and other senior officials of the Education Department took it very strictly. District Education Officers (DEO) and District Program Officers (DPO) of all the districts were given strict instructions to prepare a list of guilty teachers and employees of their respective areas and recover every penny from them. The department warned that those who do not voluntarily return the illegally withdrawn amounts will face suspension, departmental action and criminal cases. Due to the fear of this swift administrative action and the close monitoring of the department, the guilty employees lost their senses. The result of this recovery campaign, which was conducted in a phased manner, was that within no time the accused started returning the illegally taken amount, thereby ensuring the return of approximately Rs 33 crore to the treasury.
Strong digital reforms to recover the balance and prevent such fraud in future
Although the Education Department has set an example by making a huge recovery of approximately Rs 33 crore, there are still many cases where the process is going on to recover the remaining amount. Department officials say that the remaining culprits will also not be spared and legal action is being taken against them. This entire incident has once again highlighted how important financial transparency is in government departments. Keeping this in mind, now the Bihar government and the education department have made the salary payment system completely online, transparent and centralized so that in future no person or teacher can muster the courage to make such illegal withdrawals. This strict step will not only stop the wastage of government money, but will also bring new purity and discipline to the education system.