Allegations of fund misappropriation rock Mission Shakti in Mahanga

Allegations of large-scale financial irregularities have surfaced in Cuttack district’s Mahanga block under the Mission Shakti department. Executive Committee (EC) members of Bhadreshwar Panchayat have accused the local President and Secretary of misappropriating lakhs of rupees by obtaining signatures on blank resolution registers. 

They claimed that funds were later withdrawn under the pretext of unpaid salaries, modular training, laptops and picnic expenses.

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‘Over Rs 5 Lakh Misappropriated’

Urmila Nayak, EC Member of Bhadreshwar Panchayat said, “Our money worth over Rs 5 lakh has been misappropriated, though we never received any official confirmation of this. We discovered it only when we checked the last page of the documents.” 

“The President and Secretary misbehaved with us when we questioned them. For modular training, Rs 3.6 lakh was withdrawn, Rs 50,000 for laptops, Rs 20,000 for a picnic, and even our 26 months’ pending salaries were shown as utilised,” she alleged.

Threats Over Blank Signatures

Another EC Member, Lakshmipriya Mallik, said members had been regularly carrying out their responsibilities but were forced to sign blank or near-blank papers. 

“We do all the allotted work sincerely, from gradation to arranging meetings and hospitality for people. But President Niharika Mohanty and Secretary Arundhati Mishra simply write two or three lines and take our signatures on blank pages. When we refuse or raise questions, they threaten us with removal,” Mallik said.

BPM Refutes Allegations

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However, Block Project Manager Ganeshwar Swain dismissed the charges outright. “No corruption or misappropriation has taken place. Signatures on blank papers are never taken. To address their grievances, a meeting has been scheduled in the presence of the BDO next Wednesday. A letter has already been issued for this purpose, and all issues will be clarified in that discussion,” he stated.