Scholarship amount of Rs 97.32 lakh siphoned off with fabricated caste certificates in Odisha: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has detected that students’ scholarship amounting to Rs 97.32 lakh has been siphoned off in Odisha by fabricating caste certificates during the financial year from 2017-18 to 2020-21.

The CAG report was presented by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi in the State Assembly on Wednesday.

“Audit examined Caste Certificates, accompanying 7,638 scholarship application forms, for the period from FYs 2017-18 to 2020-21, pertaining to 24 institutions of the Khurda district and found that, in 256 applications, pertaining to 119 students, the Caste Certificates had been fabricated, i.e. the QR Codes, (which had been manipulated in the Certificates submitted by these applicants) actually belonged to other persons,” the report stated.

“Five educational institutions in Khurda district, through which the maximum number of fabricated Caste Certificates had been submitted and subsequently accepted by the DWO. The Audit observed that neither the educational institutions, nor the DWO, had verified the authenticity of the Caste Certificates, resulting in payment of ₹ 97.32 lakh to ineligible persons,” it further said.

“Audit examined Income Certificates, accompanying 7,704 scholarship application forms, for the period from FYs 2017-18 to 2020-21, pertaining to 25 institutions of the Khurda district and found that, in 85 applications, pertaining to 48 students, the Income Certificates had been fabricated, i.e. the QR Codes, (which had been manipulated on the Certificates submitted by the applicants) actually belonged to other candidates. Neither the Institutions, nor the DWO, had verified the authenticity of these Income Certificates, which was a vital eligibility condition for PMS, for SC and ST students. Five educational institutions in Khurda district, through which the maximum number of fabricated certificates had been submitted and subsequently accepted by the DWO,” it added.