The audit analyzed the semester results of the 2016-2019 and 2017-20 batches and found that 138 and 142 students failed their final exams respectively (file photo)
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) also observed that the PMS has been granted to the students even if they had discontinued their studies
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has suspected fraud and corruption in the implementation of the post-matric scholarship scheme (PMS) under direct benefit transfer (DBT) in Odisha.
In its report on the performance audit of implementation of DBT as payment of PMS to eligible students in the state, which was submitted to the state assembly on Tuesday, the CAG said: “Due to the absence of a detailed checklist for inspection of private educational institutions institutions, 5,185 beneficiaries from 15 ineligible institutions, had been provided PMS, worth Rs 15.79 crore, during the financial years 2016-17 to 2016-20.” The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, in its revised guidelines issued in May 2018, has made it mandatory for inspection of private educational institutions by officials nominated by the district collectors. However, the CAG noted that there was no provision for inspection of private educational institutions, for sanctioning PMS.
In September and October 2021, joint physical inspections were conducted at 16 institutes affiliated to the National Council of Vocational Research and Training (NCVRT) and Bharat Sevak Samaj (BSS), by the Welfare Extension Officers (WEOs) and Assistant District Welfare Officers (ADWOs), in the presence of inspection officials.
Of the 16 institutes verified during the joint verification, eight were found not to exist and the existence of these institutes could not be established even among locals, the report said.
“The Prerana (PMS scheme portal) software was also not well equipped to identify and filter out these ineligible institutions. As a result, PMS worth Rs 15.79 crore was appropriated by non-existent/ineligible institutes,” the report said.
The CAG also notes that the PMS was awarded to the students, even though they discontinued their studies.
Sakuntala Sudharsan Institute of Technology (SSIT) in Mayurbhanj district organized three-year diploma courses in which 1,369 students were admitted during 2016-2020.
The audit analyzed the semester results of the 2016-19 and 2017-20 batches and found that 138 and 142 students, respectively, had failed to clear their final examinations and dropped out of their studies. However, they were paid PMS, which amounted to Rs 2.36 crore.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)