Rautahat, October 9

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has started investigating financial anomalies in the distribution of social security allowance.

Apparently the allowance was also distributed in the names of deceased persons. The CIAA team has started reaching the doorsteps of local residents seeking information about the deceased in Rautahat.

Gaur Municipality Ward No 4 Chair Bhuneswor Kumar Shahi said he was taken by surprise when CIAA staffers reached his home and asked about the details of his mother, who had died 12 years ago. “Three CIAA staffers came to my home and asked me to call my mother Rajpati Devi. I was taken aback as I could not call her since she had died 12 years ago,” said Bhuneswor Kumar.

Shahi said they had asked him about other persons as well. The team came to the village to  know about social security allowance being distributed in Rajpati Devi’s name. Shahi said he came to know that allowance for the elderly was being distributed in his dead mother’s name though she had died 12 years ago. “We have not received the allowance. Maybe municipality staffers are receiving the elderly allowance in my mother’s name,” Shahi told the CIAA team.

The anti-graft staffers had also reached other people’s doorsteps inquiring.

According to Shahi, social security allowance is being sanctioned in the names of 259 people by preparing fake documents.

Gaur Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Suman Karki admitted financial irregularities were going on in collusion with some employees. “A CIAA investigation into the irregularities is under way and the guilty, will face the music at any cost,” Karki stated.

After the anomalies came to light, the list of elderly allowance recipients is being rectified. “So far, we have deleted 600 names and further probe is being carried out,” Karki said.