SUSPECTED SCAM IN SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT, GUWAHATI, Nov 16: The Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Cell of the Assam Police has started a detailed probe into a suspected massive scam of Rs 2,250 crore in the State Social Welfare Department, which recently came to light in a review meeting of the department called by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
Sleuths have seized over 400 files kept in the office of the Social Welfare Directorate till date. All these files are related to different welfare schemes of the department and anganwadi kendras. On Wednesday, sleuths again swooped into the Social Welfare Directorate office to examine different files related to welfare schemes of the department and anganwadi kendras.
While attending a review meeting of the Social Welfare Department recently, Sonowal ordered a probe into the suspected Rs 2,250 crore scam. The furious Chief Minister vowed to punish those guilty of siphoning off enormous funds in the name of feeding 9 lakh non-existent children for the past 15 years. Similarly, 390 fake anganwadi centres have been detected. These centres were fraudulently entered for siphoning off money.
A case (no. 16/2016) has been filed by the State government in this regard and the Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Cell has been given charge of conducting the investigation.
Sources said files seized from the office of the Social Welfare Directorate would first be tabulated, after which field verification would start. Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Cell will also pay visits to suspect anganwadi kendras across the State for verification, added sources. If the probe is done in proper manner, there are chances of several contractors who supply goods to the Social Welfare department and a section of its officials — falling in the police dragnet.
Goods for children in anganwadi kendras were earlier allegedly procured by the Social Welfare department from markets at inflated prices. The allegation doing the rounds is that a contractor going by the surname Das, enjoying close relations with a former Congress minister, had siphoned off huge amounts of government money in the name of supplying goods to the department.
Regarding the suspected scam, Mukul Saikia, SP, Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Cell, said, “We have already started a probe into it. We will try our level best to find out who were behind this massive scam.” Source: The Sentinel
