
Lakhs lost to fake repair bills, no work done in these 2 Madhya Pradesh schools
The revelations triggered a wave of public outrage after the bills surfaced online. Authorities, meanwhile, have now promised an inquiry. Shahdol District Education Officer Phool Singh Marpachi acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and assured that the matter would be probed.Beohari SDM Narendra Singh Dhurve confirmed to Aaj Tak that he had visited the schools for a spot inspection after learning of the alleged fraud. He admitted that not only was the quality of work substandard, but much of it remained incomplete. He added that all related documents had been summoned for verification and that strict action would follow against those found guilty.A peculiar anomaly was also flagged in the billing records: the principal of the Nipania school had reportedly verified the bill on April 4, 2025, while the construction agency, Sudhakar Constructions from Odari, generated the same bill a month later, on May 5. The timing discrepancy has further deepened suspicions of deliberate fraud and document manipulation. Despite these glaring errors, the treasury office approved the payment.The incident casts a harsh light on the deteriorating condition of rural schools in Madhya Pradesh. While central and state governments allocate funds regularly for infrastructure maintenance, poor quality construction followed by systematic misuse of maintenance grants through inflated and possibly forged bills continue to plague the education sector.- EndsMust Watch

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Indian Express
a minute ago
- Indian Express
Delhi HC seeks NIA's response on Engineer Rashid's plea seeking waiver of travel cost for attending Parliament
The Delhi High Court Friday sought the National Investigation Agency (NIA)'s response on the plea filed by Baramulla MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid, challenging the costs imposed by a trial court as part of his custody parole conditions to attend Parliament. Rashid, who is an Independent Lok Sabha MP, also sought interim bail. On Tuesday, a Delhi court granted custody parole to Rashid from July 24 to August 4 to attend the Monsoon Session of Parliament, but rejected his interim bail plea. Rashid urged the trial court to either grant interim bail or permission to attend Parliament in custody, without payment of travel costs, as he was seeking to attend the session as part of his public duty and not for personal work. Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, however, imposed travel costs on him. Challenging the trial court's order, Senior Advocate N Hariharan told a bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Shalinder Kaur Friday that despite the custody parole, Rashid was losing each day of the relief as he had not been able to attend the session due to the huge costs. Hariharan also submitted that Rashid has been 'saddled' with a cost of Rs 17 lakh to 'represent the public at large.' The bench posted the matter for further consideration on July 29, and issued notice to NIA. On the same day, the high court is also due to consider a plea by Rashid seeking regular bail after a trial court rejected the request on March 21. In March, while allowing Rashid to attend Parliament during the Budget session, the Delhi High Court imposed the condition that the lawmaker would bear the expense for his travel to Parliament while in the court's custody, accompanied by the police, and other arrangements. The jail authorities had estimated a daily cost of approximately Rs 1.45 lakh for travel and related arrangements, totalling Rs 8.74 lakh for Rashid to attend six days of Parliament. At the time, he had challenged the condition that required him to bear the costs before the HC. Subsequently, he had submitted that he is ready to deposit 50 per cent of the cost of over Rs 8.74 lakh for the police escort arrangement to attend Parliament. Recording Rashid's submission, the Delhi HC had directed that he would be allowed to attend Parliament after depositing the amount. Lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail since 2019 in a case of alleged terror funding, he was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. According to NIA, he used various public platforms to 'propagate the ideology of separatism and secessionism', was closely associated with various terrorist organisations, and wanted to 'legitimise' the United Jihad Council, a platform of anti-India militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir. On May 30, 2017, NIA registered a case under Indian Penal Code Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) against Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and other 'secessionist and separatist' leaders, including Rashid. NIA claimed they 'received and collected' funds through hawala channels in 'connivance with active militants of…terrorist organizations Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Lashkar-e-Toiba' to fund 'terrorist activities' in Jammu and Kashmir.


News18
25 minutes ago
- News18
Ganja worth Rs 30 lakh seized from abandoned car in MPs Shahdol
Last Updated: Shahdol, Jul 24 (PTI) At least 300 kg of ganja worth Rs 30 lakh was seized from an abandoned car in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, police said on Friday. The police received a tip-off about a car accident in the Kunda Tola area under the jurisdiction of Sidhi police station on Wednesday night, Station House Officer (SHO) Rajkumar Mishra said. On reaching the scene, the police team found a white car with a Chhattisgarh registration number abandoned on a field, he said. 'We found 294 plastic packets containing a substance, later identified as ganja," Mishra told PTI. He said that the seized contraband weighed 301.75 kg and was valued at Rs 30 lakh. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against unidentified persons, and an investigation is underway, the official said. The police are scanning CCTV footage from the area to identify and locate those involved in the interstate smuggling racket, he said. PTI COR LAL ARU Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Odisha vigilance seizes Rs 1.44 crore cash, gold from Jeypore forest officer's flat
Rama Chandra Nepak, a Deputy Ranger in Koraput, faces scrutiny. Vigilance officials discovered significant assets at his residence. The seized items include cash exceeding ₹1.44 crore and gold. Raids occurred across multiple locations linked to Nepak. KORAPUT: Vigilance officials on Friday seized over Rs 1.44 crore in cash, four gold biscuits, and 16 gold coins (each weighing 10 grams) from the flat of Rama Chandra Nepak, the deputy ranger of Jeypore forest range in Koraput district, on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. According to Vigilance sources, simultaneous raids were conducted at six locations linked to Nepak across Koraput and Bhubaneswar. The operation involved six DSPs, five inspectors, and nine assistant sub-inspectors. Officials said further details are awaited as searches are still underway. The properties being searched include a building constructed on paternal land at NKT Road in Jeypore, two flats in Jeypore town, a flat owned by his brother at UMS Bhagabati Mansion in Bhubaneswar, his in-laws' residence at Sombar Tota in Jeypore, and his office chamber. A Vigilance release revealed that Nepak, began his career as a village forest worker in 1989 under the Social Forestry Wing of the Koraput Division. Following the merger of the Social Forestry and Territorial Forest Divisions, he was transferred to the Jeypore Forest Division. He is currently posted as Deputy Ranger-cum-in-charge Ranger of the Jeypore Forest Range. His gross monthly salary is Rs 76,880, with a net salary of Rs 69,680, the release stated. The Vigilance department has initiated further investigation to assess the full extent of assets accumulated.