CAG audit finds men given widow pension in Jharkhand 

CAG report reveals irregularities in Jharkhand govt schemes, including widow pension to men & fake beneficiaries for scholarships.

Several irregularities have been found in the implementation of government schemes in Jharkhand. It was revealed when the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) report of financial year 2021-2022 was tabled on the last day of the Assembly session on Thursday.

The State government has given the widow pension to men. Many students have received more than one scholarship despite the fact that they were entitled for only one scholarship.

The CAG report found lack of social audit and monitoring in the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes in which fake beneficiaries were given the scholarship.

During the audit it was found that payment of ₹9.54 lakh was done to 16 men from East Singhbhum, Godda Potka, Ghatshila, Padaiyahat and Godda Sadar as a widow pension under Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and the Rajya Vidhwa Samman Protsahan Yojna.

In the audit, irregularities were found in pre- and post-matric scholarships in which ₹1.17 crore were paid to fake students in Chatra, East Singhbhum, Godda and Ranchi. Apart from this ₹9.99 crore payments was done to the fake students under the scholarship given to the minorities.

Irregularities have also been found in the scholarship given to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Backward Class (BC). The report says that ₹5.21 lakh were given to 81 fake students in fived districts which includes Chatra, Godda, Palamu, Ranchi and East Singhbhum.