Students on 'Karnataka Darshan' eat free food at temples but BEO submits 'fake' bill worth lakhs!
- The officer, in charge, of the excursion has reportedly denied students good food from hotels
- During their five-day tour, they were made to eat at temples and mutts where food is served free
- But the officer has now submitted a 'fake bill' claiming reimbursement from the government
Follow A Block Education Officer (BEO) of Koppal has been accused of producing 'fake bill' to claim lakhs of rupees in the name of 'Karnataka Darshan', an annual tour conducted for students of government schools by the government.
Like every year, this year too, the officer, Umesh Poojar, was in charge of taking poor students on 'Karnataka Darshan' during the holidays from January 22 to 26 in his taluk. While the students were made to eat in temples and mutts where food is served free, BEO officer has submitted a 'fake bill' claiming reimbursement (on all the days) which runs up to lakhs, reports Suvarna News. The officer has unashamedly written a letter to the government claiming that the students were provided good food, made to stay at good accommodation, hence he deserved reimbursement.
While this could have gone unnoticed, if not for an RTI query filed by activist Anand Kamatar, reports Suvarna News. The activist has obtained the 'fake bill' submitted by the officer which has now been released to mediahouses. Not just that the officer has "reimbursed" money in the name of providing uniform and stationary while in reality, the students have been deprived of all this. The activist has urged the authorities concerned to initiate action against the officer for producing 'fake bill' worth lakhs, Suvarna News.
The 'Karnataka Darshan' excursion programme was earlier aimed at students in more and most backwad taluks (114) as identified by the Nanjundappa committee. However, after the Opposition parties criticised the government for being 'discriminatory', the state government extended this programme to children in all the 175 taluks. At least, 450 students are selected from each district and the fund allocation has also been increased, over the years, reports The Hindu.
