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Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Panchayat officer, GRS suspended for swindling Rs 1.5cr of govt funds
Berhampur: The Kandhamal administration has suspended the panchayat executive officer (PEO) and a former gram rozgar sevak (GRS) of Durgapanga panchayat for allegedly misappropriating over Rs 1.50 crore of development funds in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Kandhamal collector Amrit Ruturaj suspended PEO Bishnu Charan Behera and Balaram Sethi, former GRS, recently after the district administration found the misappropriation following an inquiry. Sethi is now assistant data entry operator in Gumma panchayat, sources said. "We conducted an inquiry through assistant executive officers (finance and administration) of the zilla parishad (ZP) after getting a complaint from the block development officer (BDO) of Kotagarh recently," Sambhu Nath Nandi, chief executive officer of the ZP, said on Sunday. Besides office documents, they also conducted field visits fields to enquire into the allegations. "The inquiry revealed that the duo misappropriated over Rs 24.82 lakh from the Central Finance Commission (CFC) fund, Rs 21.51 lakh from the State Finance Commission (SFC) fund and around Rs 1.08 crore from MGNREGS from 2023 to 2025," he said. Earlier, several people had alleged the duo had misappropriated funds without executing works. He said they also filed a complaint against the duo with the vigilance department to take appropriate legal action. "The anti-corruption agency is enquiring into the matter," he added. Involvement of the sarpanch in the corruption was being probed. Vigilance sleuths would also enquire about the misappropriation of govt funds and those involved in the corruption, sources said. "We have formed a special team at the district level. The team visits the spot to take stock, if they get any complaint about corruption," said Nandi.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Pre-exam coaching ‘improves' matric marks of tribal students
1 2 3 Berhampur: Over 1,000 tribal students in Kandhamal district improved their performance in the High School Certificate (HSC) examination this year, scoring above 50% compared to the previous year. The progress was made through the district administration's initiative, Prayash Plus, a special two-month coaching programme introduced before the matric exams, officials said. Kandhamal collector Amrit Ruturaj initiated the programme with the objective of achieving higher scores rather than just passing the exam. Following a screening test, 1,026 students were selected for coaching. "Twelve hubs were set up, one in each block. Students were provided with free lodging and food in each hub, while expert teachers were engaged for two months of coaching before the exam," said Rabindra Mishra, district welfare officer (DWO). Of the 27 students coached to achieve A2 grades (above 80%), 13 succeeded. Similarly, 128 and 546 students achieved B1 (70–79%) and B2 (60–69%) grades, surpassing targets of 87 and 249 students, respectively. Moreover, 991 students secured C grade (50–59%) compared to the target of 663. Out of 2,597 students from ST and SC residential schools who appeared for the exam, 2,562 passed — registering a pass rate of 98.65%, nearly the same as last year's 99%. However, significantly more students scored higher grades this year. "In 2024, only 4 students got an A2 grade, while 59 achieved B1, 388 got B2, and 952 secured C," said Mishra.
