Probe reveals ‘unauthorised’ alteration of occupational details in over 50K family IDs

A recent report by the Haryana Parivar Pehchan Patra Authority (HPPA) has exposed serious irregularities involving the “unauthorised” alteration of occupational details in over 50,000 family IDs.

Advertisement

According to the report, these unauthorised changes were approved from login credentials of three officials at the Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID) posted in Jhajjar and Nuh districts. The matter came to light following a technical investigation conducted after a case of data tampering on the Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) portal surfaced in Jhajjar in November last year.

Verification norms violated

As per protocol, CRID officials are authorised to approve changes in family IDs only after verifying all relevant details and strictly within their own jurisdiction. In these cases, not only were verification norms violated, but applications from other districts were also processed.  An official

So far, seven individuals, including several CRID officials, have been arrested in this connection, while the case is currently under investigation by the cyber cell of the Jhajjar Police.

Inspector Sombir Singh, in-charge, Jhajjar cyber cell, confirmed the HPPA’s report about “unauthorised” changes in occupational details in thousands of family IDs. “We have written to the state authorities of the Labour Department to determine how many individuals among them availed government welfare schemes following the change in their occupation. Further action will be taken accordingly,” he said.

Sources in the Police Department said the investigation aimed to determine whether the primary motive behind the unauthorised changes in the occupation details was to avail illegal benefit from government schemes or not.

“As per protocol, CRID officials are authorised to approve changes in family IDs only after verifying all relevant details and strictly within their own jurisdiction. In these cases, not only were verification norms violated, but applications from other districts were also processed — raising serious concerns about potential corrupt practices,” an official said.

According to the HPPA’s report, over 11,500 applications for changes in family IDs were approved unauthorisedly using the login credentials of a CRID official posted in Jhajjar. Similarly, more than 27,000 and 12,000 applications were approved unauthorisedly using the login credentials of two other CRID officials posted in Nuh district. All these applications involved changes to the family occupation.

“An investigation is in progress. The broader impact of these unauthorised changes in family ID occupations on the integrity of government welfare schemes is now being assessed,” an official said.