Imphal, May 16: Out of the total margin money of Rs 71 lakhs, released in two installments to the State under the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (REGP) by KVIC as part of the special programme of the Central Government for development of people belonging to BPL families, a sum of around Rs 26 lakhs has gone missing without any accountability, according to a reliable source.

The source disclosed that following the instruction of the KVIC, for depositing the required margin money to the banks to be given to the beneficiaries under the REGP for the period 2006-07, FCS Minister Y Erabot, who is also the Chairman of the KVI Board had issued the approval letters in two installments respectively on March 20 and April 5 this year.

On the basis of the approval letters of the Chairman, a total amount Rs 71,28,900 have been deposited in various banks namely Punjab National Bank, Imphal (Rs 21,30,000); Allahabad Bank, Imphal (Rs 90,000); Punjab & Sind Bank, Imphal (Rs 30,000); Bank of Baroda, Imphal (Rs 7,62,900); Bank of Baroda, Changangei (Rs 10,80,000); Bank of Baroda, Yurembam (Rs 5,10,000); United Bank of India, Tamenglong Branch (Rs 12,66,000) and United Bank of India, Ukhrul Branch (Rs 12,60,000).However, without convening the meeting of the Board to select the beneficiaries of the margin money as well as the knowledge of the Board Chairman and other members, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Board submitted a list of 43 beneficiaries to the banks in an unofficial manner.

Subsequently, although arrangements have been made for providing Rs 45,72,900 to the 43 beneficiaries selected by the CEO in an unofficial manner, the remaining Rs 25,56,000 which was supposed to be returned back to the authorities concerned had not been done so, thereby raising the suspicion that such a huge amount may have been swindled, the source said.

Moreover, in excess of the target, the CEO had also submitted the list of the 108 beneficiaries under Entrepreneurs Development Programme (EDP) for the period 2007-08 without the knowledge of any of the Board members to seven different banks.

This has also caused serious apprehension over the possible of cancelling the benefits of the EDP to the people of the State in future, the source added.

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