Vigilance Bureau books 16 in Ambala housing grant scam
Rs 31.40 lakh allegedly released to 55 ineligible beneficiaries
The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SVACB) has registered a case against 16 persons, including former and serving District Welfare Officers, officials, agents and alleged ineligible beneficiaries, in connection with an alleged Rs 31.40-lakh scam in the disbursement of grants under the Dr BR Ambedkar Awas Navinikaran Yojana in Ambala.
The case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The scheme provides financial assistance for the repair of houses and roofs of families belonging to Scheduled Caste and Below Poverty Line categories. The Vigilance Bureau had received complaints in 2022 alleging irregularities in the implementation of the scheme between 2018-19 and 2021-22.
According to the complaint, applications of ineligible persons were allegedly submitted through agents, while officials concerned facilitated the release of grants and allegedly received a share of the amount. There were also allegations that grants were sanctioned to two or three members of the same family residing in the same house.
During the investigation, the Bureau found that more than Rs 17 crore had been released to 3,922 beneficiaries during the period.
Investigators examined the applications of 59 beneficiaries and found that only four met the prescribed eligibility criteria. The remaining 55 applicants were allegedly ineligible, yet grants ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 80,000 were released to them without proper verification.
The probe also found that grants were allegedly released on incomplete applications and without mandatory on-site inspections. Six beneficiaries reportedly received the grant twice within a year.
After the money was credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts, nearly 50% of the grant was allegedly collected back through agents.
The concerned Tehsil Welfare Officers allegedly submitted false utilisation certificates instead of obtaining them from beneficiaries. The FIR alleges that officials and agents colluded to process incomplete and ineligible applications, resulting in the transfer of Rs 31.40 lakh to the 55 beneficiaries.
