DEO for probe into ‘usurping’ of govt school salary funds

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Amritsar, July 13

Taking action against a complaint received by the District Education Office and acting upon the findings of a four-member committee in a suspected case of embezzlement of salary funds, the DEO has sent a report to the Education Department, recommending a Vigilance enquiry into the matter.

Acting on a complaint that the DEO received on April 20, 2024, filed by a class IV employee of Government Senior Secondary School, Ghumanpura, citing that his salary is being received through UPI from a private bank account rather than the usual process of directly being credited to his bank account, the District Education Office had constituted a four-member committee to investigate the issue.

“We had received the complaint and a four-member committee carried out an inquiry into the case, which reported some irregularities in salary funds. Now, we have sent the report to the department and recommended further investigation by higher authorities, including the Vigilance Bureau, as we do not have any discretionary power to act in this regard,” said District Education Officer Rajesh Sharma.

The complaint letter written by the class IV employee of the school to the DEO and the Education Secretary, Punjab, and the Directorate of School Education (Secondary), Punjab, stated that his salary is being received late every month and through UPI payment from a private bank account. Further, it mentions suspected bank accounts through which his salaries were diverted and transferred. On the basis of the complaint filed by the Class IV employee of the school, members of staff from the school (on condition of anonymity) claimed that instead of transferring salaries and pensions of school’s employees to their bank accounts, approximately Rs 54, 97,681 has been transferred to some private suspected bank accounts from March 2022 to April 2024 in the name of salaries and pensions.

Meanwhile, principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Gumanpura, Paramjit Kaur said she has no idea about any complaint or any action being taken in the case by the District Education Office. “I did not receive any communication regarding any inquiry or any complaint being received in the case. The salaries of all staff in the school are being dispersed through proper channel and I cannot say much in the matter,” she said. She has been posted in the school since December 2023.

Salary was transferred to pvt bank A/CS

The complaint letter written by the class IV employee of the school to the DEO and the Education Secretary, Punjab, and the Directorate of School Education (Secondary), Punjab, stated that his salary is being received late every month and through UPI payment from a private bank account. Further, it mentions suspected bank accounts through which his salaries were diverted and transferred. On the basis of the complaint filed by the Class IV employee of the school, members of staff from the school (on condition of anonymity) claimed that instead of transferring salaries and pensions of school’s employees to their bank accounts, approximately Rs 54, 97,681 has been transferred to some private suspected bank accounts from March 2022 to April 2024 in the name of salaries and pensions.