Bajura, November 29

It has been revealed that three VDC secretaries in Bajura were involved in financial irregularities after they did not distribute social security allowance to the target groups in the district.

The secretaries in Kailashmandu, Bahrabisa and Jayabageshwori VDCs have been implicated in financial irregularities as they did not distribute the allowance allocated by District Development Committee for the fiscal 2015/16.

A report prepared by the DDC cited that the secretaries had taken the amount in the name of dead persons, children above five years and single women whose names were not in the list.

It is said that these government employees had embezzled Rs 1.4 million within a year. It has been found that Khagendra Saud of Kailashmandu VDC had taken the largest amount compared to others. Saud had taken Rs 724 400 in the name of 100 dead persons, 55 single women and Dalits and 212 under-age children.

Similarly, the DDC’s report showed that the allowance amount was also embezzled in Bahrabisa and Jayabageshwori VDCs in the name of under-aged children and single women.

The report clarified that the VDC secretaries and staffers at other local bodies were involved in the financial irregularities due to the lack of people’s representatives for long.

Accountant Maniraj Khatri at the DDC said that it was against the law of the land that the amount was kept in the names of the VDC secretaries. “We will make them pay the amount,” he added.

The incident came to light after the VDC secretaries showed one data while distributing the first quarter installment, while the same data was used by increasing the number of persons while distributing the third quarter installment.

The government had given the allowance to elderly citizens, single women and partially and completely disabled people on a monthly basis.

However, the secretaries did not update the name list and released the amount. It is said that some VDC secretaries had put the finger print and embezzled the allowance.

Civil Society leader Dharma Raj Padhya said that the problem emerged after the VDCs did not update data as government employees stayed in the district headquarters rather than their work station.

Jayar Singh Aide, a local, said the financial irregularity had taken place in nexus with Saud. “A fair investigation into the case has to be carried out,” he demanded.

Meanwhile, Saud said the problems occurred after some people provided fake data to the office. “I am not involved in financial irregularities as far as allowance distribution is concerned,” he added. He said that his office was preparing to rectify the data.

Chief District Officer Bhoj Raj Shrestha said action was taken against those with two citizenship cards and that the citizenship certificates would be rectified.