Raipur – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its probe into the alleged NGO scam in Chhattisgarh. CBI officials recently visited the Social Welfare Department office in Mana, Raipur, and sought documents related to the State Resource Centre (SRC).
The CBI team requested and obtained photocopies of three bundles of documents concerning the NGOs. Officials stated that these documents will be scrutinised before further action is taken. A minister, seven IAS officers, and six State Administrative Service (RAS) officials are among the 14 people reportedly named in connection with the case.
The NGOs were founded in 2004 by the then Social Welfare Minister, Renuka Singh, along with several officials, including retired IAS officers Vivek Dhandh, M K Raut, Dr Alok Shukla, Sunil Kujur, B L Agrawal, Satish Pandey, and P P Shroti.
The NGOs were intended for the welfare of the differently-abled, covering the distribution of hearing aids, wheelchairs, tricycles, callipers, and prosthetic limbs, besides creating awareness and providing care. However, the NGOs reportedly existed only on paper and were not operational on the ground.
Despite operating without recognition from the Social Welfare Department, the NGO reportedly received crores of rupees over 14 years from both the central and state governments under various schemes.
Rules state that no government employee can be a member of an NGO, making the organisation illegal. Furthermore, the NGO allegedly failed to conduct elections within the mandatory 45 days of its formation; no elections were held for 17 years. There were also no reported meetings of the managing committee or any audits.
The alleged scam came to light in 2016 when contract employee Kundan Thakur, who had been working at the Mathpurena Swavalamban Kendra (PRRC) since 2008, applied for regularisation of his job. Thakur discovered he was already designated as Assistant Grade-2 and was receiving a salary from a different branch since 2012.
Thakur filed a Right to Information (RTI) application and collected details, which revealed that 14 employees in Raipur and 16 in Bilaspur were shown as posted in two different locations, with salaries being drawn every month under their names. After the matter reached the court, Thakur was dismissed from his job.
The investigation of files by Thakur revealed a long list of names, many of whom were reportedly not working anywhere. Documents suggest that one person was shown as posted in two to three places, with salaries drawn from multiple sources for a single position.
The NGO reportedly made new appointments on paper, but these employees did not exist on the ground. Fake salaries were drawn against these artificial appointments. The annual salary of about 30 employees was shown as ₹34 lakh, which, according to the RTI data, grew to over ₹1.70 crore in just five years. Between 2004 and 2018, funds from the Social Welfare Department and its branches, including scheme funds, were directly transferred to the NGO’s account.
Following the High Court’s directive, the then Chief Secretary Ajay Singh assigned the investigation to Dr Kamalpreet Singh. The investigation report has been submitted to the court.
No audit conducted since the SRC’s registration. Fake appointments were made, and employees were paid in cash. The government claims the Mana centre is physically operational. It reports that 4,000 patients received prosthetic limbs between 2012 and 2018, and an audit was conducted in 2014-15. Ambiguity in payments was acknowledged.
The salaries of the petitioner Kundan Thakur and other employees were drawn from other branches without their knowledge. The government stated that Swavalamban Kendra, Mathpurena, was Thakur’s original department. Documents from March 2015 show he was receiving an honorarium from two places. Remaining payments were made via cheque.
Fake appointments were made in the NGO SRC. The government stated that 21 employees provided regular services during office hours. Since 2017, 11 employees were paid from the Destitute Fund via outsourcing, and the remaining 11 were paid by the government through PRRC.
The CBI has now restarted the investigation based on an old First Information Report (FIR) following the High Court’s order. Officials believe that further major names could be exposed as the inquiry progresses to other districts.
The CBI is reportedly focusing on the NGO founders, RAS officers, district-level officials, and those who allegedly hindered the audit process.
