Imphal, December 18: Continuing its drive to cleanse the education system in the State, the proscribed KYKL has pulled up an Assistant Inspector of Schools and awarded him voluntary retirement for siphoning off funds meant for Mid Day Meal Scheme under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

The nailed AI is identified as Oinam Kesho (55) of Leimapokpam Awang Leikai and he was attached with the ZEO Zone IV, Bishnupur district.

Parading the accused before some media persons at a place somewhere in the valley area, a spokesman of the Task Force of ONK said that Kesho was pulled and interrogated after they received information of misappropriating the fund meant for the Mid Day Meal Scheme.

During the interrogation it came to light that though it was initially given that there were 133 schools under Kesho along with 14,045 the actual number of students under him is 10,294.Moreover the rice allotted did not tally with the number of students.

Though a total of 269 quintal of rice was to be distributed each month, it was found that only 214 were actually distributed, while the rest was not accounted for, said the spokesman.

The total amount of rice to be withdrawn from December 2007 till February 2008 is 807 quintal, said the spokesman and added that only 139 quintal of rice was found at the Bishnupur godown.

Though one bag of rice was supposed to be 50 Kg, the rice distributed by Kesho contained only 38 to 43 Kg.

Initially Kesho maintained that the deficit Kgs per bag was found as it was from the FCS godown, an inspection at the SCS Bishnupur godown found out that one bag contained anything between 47 Kgs to 49 Kgs, said the spokesman.

Kesho was also guilty of drawing rice for 14045 students in October, though the actual number of students under his jurisdiction is 10249, said the spokesman.

The spokesperson further claimed that Kesho deducted Rs 300 each in the months of January, May and June for the maintenance of 133 schools and for payment to cooks and another Rs 500 each for the months of July, August and September.

To cover up the misappropriation of the funds at the time of auditing, Kesho diverted 18 quintals of rice each in the months of January, February, May, June and July and sold them off.

Then gave a sum of Rs 8000 to the chartered accountant and Rs 4000 to the account general, while he pocketed the rest, said the spokespersons.

The money was distributed in cahoots with his second wife in front of the Bishnupur police station, said the spokesperson and added that instead of handing over the meant for the cooks' salaries, he employed two runners and disbursed the money to fake cooks (cooks forcibly appointed on the basis of UO note written by Ministers/MLAs).

The two runners have been identified as K Ibopishak Singh of Utlou and L Santi Singh of Keinou.

The spokesperson further said that in the investigation conducted so far, it has come to light that a large number of social organisations and student bodies and even underground organisations have been levying their taxes on the rice meant for the Mid Day Meal Scheme.

From each school UPF and DESAM are levying a sum of Rs 100 each, KCP (MC) Rs 28,000, UNLF 24 quintal of rice, RPF 8 quintal of rice, DC 4 quintals, AISF 2 quintal, MSF two quintals, labour fee 0.5 quintal and 9 quintal as expenditure fee, said the spokesperson.

The said percentage cut is levied on the supply received in each zone, said the spokesperson and appealed to all to discontinue this in the interest of the poor students.

Apart from awarding forced retirement on Kesho, the spokesperson also said that all the money that he had siphoned off should be repaid within a stipulated time.

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