8 women SHG members arrested of misappropriating fund provided to them to rear milching cows

Kendrapada: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Wednesday arrested eight women members of a Self-Help Groups (SHG) in Jagatsinghpur district on the charge of misappropriating the central assistance provided to them to rear milching cows to generate income for their families .But they did not purchase any cow and thereby embezzled the government funds in a clear nexus with some officials. All the eight arrested women have been identified as Mani Das, Pravati Das , Pramila Das, Lili Das, Chabilata Das, Hema Das, Shantilata Parida and Mamata Parida of Kuruki village under Naugaon police station.They were arrested by the officers of Odisha Vigilance for defalcation and fraud of Government funds sanctioned in favour of them under “SGSY” (Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana) Scheme for purchase of milching cows .The SGSY is a rural self-employment program that provides assistance to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families to establish income-generating assets, including milching cows. The scheme envisages providing sustainable income to the rural poor through self-employment and integrates the organization of beneficiaries into SHGs, coupled with training, credit, technology, infrastructure and marketing support to uplift the families above the poverty line.

However, the accused persons, beneficiaries of a self-help group, did not purchase the cows, and thereby embezzled the government funds.After misappropriation was detected, all accused persons were on a run since the last one and half years to evade arrest. However, acting on a tip off , a special team of Odisha Vigilance nabbed them on Wednesday and produced them before the Court of Special Judge Vigilance, Cuttack, said officials.They were booked under sections- 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act PC Act and under sections- 420, 467/468,471, 120-B of IPC .Apart from the above eight arrested women , the other two accused were already charge -sheeted in the above case including one government servant Kunja Bihari Swain, the then Veterinary Assistant Surgeon (VAS) of Naugaon block and Ranjit Kumar Behera an approved supplier of the government as both were also involved in the misappropriation of the government funds of the said scheme .

Both are now facing trial in the court of special Judge vigilance, Cuttack.