Latest news with #Shalarth
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Nagpur SIT to lead state-wide probe into Shalarth ID scam and bogus teacher recruitment
In a major development, the Maharashtra police department has entrusted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed in Nagpur with the responsibility of investigating a growing scam involving fake teacher appointments and misuse of the government's Shalarth portal across the state. Approved by the Director General of Police, the SIT will not only handle cases registered in Nagpur but also take charge of similar complaints from other districts, ensuring a coordinated probe into what appears to be a deep-rooted racket in the state's education system. At the centre of the scam is the alleged manipulation of the Shalarth portal, a digital system meant to manage school employees' service and salary records. Investigators have found that the platform was used to generate fake IDs and appointments for individuals who never went through the legitimate recruitment processes and were not on the school roll. The first FIRs were registered at Sadar Police Station and Cyber Police Station in Nagpur under serious charges including cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and offences under the IT Act. As the investigation progressed, the scope of the scam became clearer, pointing to its spread beyond Nagpur. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Nityanand Jha has been appointed to lead the SIT. Under his leadership, the team will now investigate cases linked to this scam in other districts as well. He has also been given the authority to bring in more officers if needed to support the investigation. Meanwhile, police in Jalgaon district have also registered three FIRs at Chalisgaon City Police Station under similar charges. While local police are continuing their efforts, findings from the SIT in Nagpur suggest that these aren't isolated incidents, but part of a broader, organised racket that could affect the integrity of the education system in multiple districts. To streamline the investigation, all documents and case files related to this scam, regardless of which district they were registered in, will be handed over to the Nagpur SIT. The team has been instructed to act swiftly and file regular updates on the progress of the investigation. The order was issued by Special Inspector General of Police Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma on Monday.
Economic Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
How Maharashtra education officers created thousands of ghost teachers to siphon off Rs 3,000 crore
A major scam has been unearthed in Maharashtra's education sector. Officials allegedly created fake teacher identities on the Shalarth portal. This was done to embezzle public funds. The estimated amount is between Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crore. Some arrests have been made. A Special Investigation Team is probing the matter. The scam involved multiple zones including Mumbai and Nagpur. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is a Shalarth ID? How the scam was carried out Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Weaknesses in the system Bribes for backdated dues Extent of the scam and official action Need for stronger checks Senior education officials in Maharashtra have been accused of creating thousands of fake teacher identities on the government's salary and HR portal, Shalarth, to siphon off public money. The scam, which involves both Mumbai and Nagpur zones, could be worth Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crore, according to government estimates. Some arrests have already been made and the state government has announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter, a TOI report stated.A Shalarth ID is a unique identity issued to government and aided school teachers and staff in Maharashtra. It is required to access salary, benefits, and employment deputy director of education Ram Pawar said, "Once there is a vacancy and the school has selected the candidate, the school issues an appointment order. The candidate then takes this appointment order to the deputy director of education of that zone, who approves it and provides the candidate with a Shalarth ID and password. This ID is used to access salary and benefits, without it, the candidate cannot be paid."The Shalarth portal also stores financial and personnel data for all education employees in the to Pawar, the authority to issue Shalarth IDs rests with the deputy director of education. The scam involved issuing bogus IDs to fictitious individuals. Bank accounts were opened using fake documents and photos, and salaries were withdrawn in their have also been accused of issuing Shalarth IDs to unqualified individuals who secured jobs as teachers and headmasters after allegedly paying bribes ranging from Rs 20 to 30 lakh to school management and government government-run schools have tighter oversight, aided schools in Maharashtra operate with limited scrutiny. This gap allowed some officials to exploit the system by appointing unqualified people, creating fake job posts, and withdrawing salaries in their Nagpur, fake IDs were allegedly given to teachers and staff who bribed school management and education officers. Teachers and other staff have also been accused of helping officials generate fake IDs and bank accounts in return for a share of the siphoned addition to fake appointments, officials allegedly demanded bribes from genuine teachers to release backdated dues and salary increments after July 18, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state assembly that the scam may involve Rs 2,000-3,000 crore. A Special Investigation Team has been set up to school education minister Dada Bhuse has suspended Mumbai's deputy director Sandeep Sangave. Ulhas Narad, deputy director of education for Nagpur, has been education official Ram Pawar said, "An earnest effort must be made to examine records. The process cannot be top-down. Whatever the upper management decides, the onus must be on field officers who need to conduct rigorous checks."
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How Maharashtra education officers created thousands of ghost teachers to siphon off Rs 3,000 crore
A major scam has been unearthed in Maharashtra's education sector. Officials allegedly created fake teacher identities on the Shalarth portal. This was done to embezzle public funds. The estimated amount is between Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crore. Some arrests have been made. A Special Investigation Team is probing the matter. The scam involved multiple zones including Mumbai and Nagpur. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is a Shalarth ID? How the scam was carried out Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Weaknesses in the system Bribes for backdated dues Extent of the scam and official action Need for stronger checks Senior education officials in Maharashtra have been accused of creating thousands of fake teacher identities on the government's salary and HR portal, Shalarth, to siphon off public money. The scam, which involves both Mumbai and Nagpur zones, could be worth Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crore, according to government estimates. Some arrests have already been made and the state government has announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter, a TOI report stated.A Shalarth ID is a unique identity issued to government and aided school teachers and staff in Maharashtra. It is required to access salary, benefits, and employment deputy director of education Ram Pawar said, "Once there is a vacancy and the school has selected the candidate, the school issues an appointment order. The candidate then takes this appointment order to the deputy director of education of that zone, who approves it and provides the candidate with a Shalarth ID and password. This ID is used to access salary and benefits, without it, the candidate cannot be paid."The Shalarth portal also stores financial and personnel data for all education employees in the to Pawar, the authority to issue Shalarth IDs rests with the deputy director of education. The scam involved issuing bogus IDs to fictitious individuals. Bank accounts were opened using fake documents and photos, and salaries were withdrawn in their have also been accused of issuing Shalarth IDs to unqualified individuals who secured jobs as teachers and headmasters after allegedly paying bribes ranging from Rs 20 to 30 lakh to school management and government government-run schools have tighter oversight, aided schools in Maharashtra operate with limited scrutiny. This gap allowed some officials to exploit the system by appointing unqualified people, creating fake job posts, and withdrawing salaries in their Nagpur, fake IDs were allegedly given to teachers and staff who bribed school management and education officers. Teachers and other staff have also been accused of helping officials generate fake IDs and bank accounts in return for a share of the siphoned addition to fake appointments, officials allegedly demanded bribes from genuine teachers to release backdated dues and salary increments after July 18, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state assembly that the scam may involve Rs 2,000-3,000 crore. A Special Investigation Team has been set up to school education minister Dada Bhuse has suspended Mumbai's deputy director Sandeep Sangave. Ulhas Narad, deputy director of education for Nagpur, has been education official Ram Pawar said, "An earnest effort must be made to examine records. The process cannot be top-down. Whatever the upper management decides, the onus must be on field officers who need to conduct rigorous checks."
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Time of India
Fake IDs & Fraudulent Salaries: Inside Govt Teacher Portal Scam
Senior education officers in the Maharashtra govt have been accused of misusing a govt-run payments portal to create fake teacher IDs and siphoning funds. Fraudulent Shalarth IDs were also created for unqualified individuals, who were allegedly hired after paying a bribe of Rs 20 to 30 lakhs each to school management and education department officials. The IDs given when a teacher is recruited, are needed to access salary and other benefits. The deputy directors of education of Mumbai and Nagpur zones allegedly, between them, created thousands of fake IDs. Govt estimates the scope of the scam to be Rs 2,000-3,000 crore. Some arrests have already been made What is a Shalarth ID? Former deputy director of education Ram Pawar explains, "Once there is a vacancy and the school has selected the candidate, the school issues an appointment order. The candidate then takes this appointment order to the deputy director of education of that zone, who approves it and provides the candidate with a Shalarth ID and password. This ID is used to access salary and benefits—without it, the candidate cannot be paid. " The Shalarth portal also houses financial information and personnel records for all education staffers. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai What is the scam? According to Ram Pawar, the authority to issue Shalarth IDs rests with the deputy director of education. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Officials at the office have created bogus IDs and drawn salaries for fictitious individuals, for whom bank accounts were opened using fake credentials and fake photographs. Officials have also been accused of issuing Shalarth IDs and hiring unqualified people for posts of teachers and headmasters for a bribe. What were the loopholes exploited by govt staff? Scope for manipulation is minimal in govt-run schools as employment records are available for scrutiny within the administration and due to the regulations which staff need to follow. But govt oversight of the records of aided schools is limited. This allowed those managing the portal to appoint unqualified individuals and even create fake posts and withdraw salaries in their name. Other weaknesses in the system Misuse of the portal has been reported across the state. In Nagpur, unqualified teachers, headmasters, and other staff were accused of holding fake Shalarth IDs that were obtained after paying bribes to school management and education department staffers. Deputy director of education for Nagpur, Ulhas Narad, has been arrested. In many cases, teachers and other school staff helped govt officers to create fake IDs and bank accounts for a share of the loot. Also, govt staff demanded bribes to give eligible teachers backdated dues and increments after promotion (see report alongside). What is the extent of the scam? On July 18, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced in the state assembly that the Shalarth ID scam could amount to Rs 2,000-3,000 crore. He announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the ID scam. Dada Bhuse, the state school education minister, has meantime suspended the Mumbai deputy director, Sandeep Sangave. Checks needed in the system Former deputy director Ram Pawar says, "An earnest effort must be made to examine records. The process cannot be top-down. Whatever the upper management decides, the onus must be on field officers who need to conduct rigorous checks."
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Time of India
Coercion, backdated entries, cooked-up vacancies
Apart from defrauding the exchequer of thousands of crores, the Shalarth scam involved extorting bribes from teachers who were applying for dues and increments or diverting the money to others. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Mumbai-based activist Shivnath Darade says, "Teachers were made to wait for long periods and run from pillar to post for lawful accruals. Money was demanded under the table to speed up the process." Since records of every teacher from a govt or aided school needed to be updated on the portal, many were at the mercy of the staff running it. Anita Miranda, a teacher at an aided school in Mumbai, says she was eligible by 2014 for promotion to teach class 9 and 10 students, but she had to wait for three years for a salary started unofficially teaching class 9 and 10 students the next year. By 2017, after repeated inquiries with the education department, she alleges she was told to sign a letter stating that she had been teaching higher grade students since 2014, after which changes were made to her salary grade on the Shalarth portal, indicating a promotion. But the increased salary never came. Similarly, in a govt school in Thane, backdated entries have allegedly been made for teachers who joined much later than the records show. "A teacher in my school was hired in 2014, but his Shalarth ID shows he has been teaching since 2012," alleges a teacher from the same school. "If a proper investigation is done, there will be many more cases in my school itself." —Mahiyar Patel
