MGNREGA fund misuse: Dand panchayat pradhan suspended

Chamba District Panchayat Officer Tilak Raj has ordered the suspension of Dand panchayat pradhan in the Salooni block over allegations of financial irregularities under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

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The action comes after a formal complaint was filed by Mausamdeen, a resident of Doogsu village, accusing pradhan Kanto of diverting government funds to bank accounts of her family members. The inquiry revealed that she facilitated payments amounting to Rs 2,12,000 to her husband, Hemraj, and father-in-law Devidas by appointing them as vendors in MGNREGA works.

Furthermore, Rs 70,000 was paid to Hemraj for stone transportation in the construction of a check dam at Dori Nala. Additionally, Rs 66,000 and Rs 76,000 were paid to Devidas for stone transportation in two separate works. In the financial year 2020-21, Rs 5,00,000 was sanctioned for the construction of an interlock tile path under GPS Mool Kihar. While the panchayat reported expenses of Rs 4,31,574, a technical valuation found the actual cost of work to be only Rs 2,83,416—indicating an excess expenditure of Rs 1,48,158. Half of the excess amount — Rs 74,079—has been held recoverable from the pradhan.

District Panchayat Officer Raj said a show-cause notice was earlier issued to Kanto, to which a response was submitted through the Block Development Officer, Salooni. However, upon reviewing, the explanation was found unsatisfactory and inconsistent with the facts of the case.

Citing the violation of official norms and breach of public trust, the District Panchayat Officer, in an order on July 19, exercised his powers under Section 145(1)(g) of the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, and Rule 142(1)(a) of the Panchayati Raj (General) Rules, 1997, suspending Kanto from her position with immediate effect.

The order further instructed Kanto to hand over any movable or immovable property belonging to the panchayat in her possession to the Panchayat Secretary without delay.