MADHYAPUR: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has indicted Managing Director of Janak Education Materials Centre (JEMC), Birendra Kumar Das, in a massive corruption racket.

The incumbent Managing Director has been indicted by the anti-graft body for misusing his authority and trust in printing textbooks for the current academic year. The Centre, which is under the Ministry of Education (MoE), publishes and distributes textbooks from grade one to ten, including the private boarding schools, across the country.

According to a preliminary probe by CIAA, Das embezzled an estimated Rs 70 million. "We have found him involved in irregularities while awarding tender for printing books for the current academic year. Thus, we suspended him," Lalit Bahadur Limbu, Acing Chief Commissioner, CIAA, told The Himalayan Times.

As per the Public Purchase Act, call for tender is required while purchasing materials worth more than Rs 1 million. However, Das, without calling the tender, ordered the printing of textbooks worth Rs 200 million from India."Das had prepared three fake quotations and given Rs 60 million in advance to Nepal Sahitya Prakashan, before printing books," a highly-placed source at the JEMC, said.

Sources said though only 2.6 million books were needed for the current year, Das had published 5.6 million books from the Nepal Sahitya Prakashan by paying high charges.

He had also allegedly taken a hefty commission from the publisher in India. Das had allegedly paid Rs 0.23 per page for publishing school textbooks in India while the same cost Rs 0.17 per page in Nepal. He has also been charged for committing various other fraudulent activities while in office. Following the initial investigation, the CIAA had suspended him two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee of the Legislature Parliament and the Ministry of Education have also initiated separate investigations into the scam. The MoE has appointed Balram KC, chief of Central Regional Education Directorate, as the officiating managing director of JEMC.

Employees’ bar on office vehicle use

MADHYAPUR THIMI: Protesting the decision to allow private sector in printing books, JEMC employees on Wednesday barred their higher-ups, including officiating MD Balram KC from use office vehicles.

Chiefs of various department and members of management committee also came to the office on foot after the ban. Chittraraj Acharya, president of Janak Education Employees Organisation, said they had prevented senior officials from using office vehicles against latter's decision to invite private sector in printing textbooks. "Despite ability, JEMC authorised private sectors to print textbooks during a meeting yesterday," Acharya said. The employees have threatened a strike if the authorities did not roll back their decision. – HNS