A Koppal BEO misused the fund released under Karnataka Darshan scheme He took the poor students on an excursion and created fake bills of food, accommodation The ignorant students were made to eat free meals at temples, and bills of food were prepared RTI activist has exposed the BEO with the proof of receipt of food from temples and cheap hotels
It seems the officers just love the ‘Karnataka Darshan’, not because they love the state but because they can make money and no one will suspect. But such a plan of the Koppal BEO was exposed recently, where he had made lakhs of rupees in the name of ‘Karnataka Darshan’.
The Karnataka government has implemented a scheme called ‘Karnataka Darsha,’ where money is released to the department to be allotted among the schools to take students on an excursion. If some schools decided to make the full use of the scheme by providing this facility to the students, some officers decided to keep the money to themselves and organise an excursion just for the sake of it.
The Koppala Block Education Officer Umesh Poojar had taken poor children of Koppal to ‘Karnataka Darshan’ from January 22 to 26. He planned the trip in such a way that he did not have to spend a penny for the food and accommodation of the kids.
He took the children to temples where free food was given and put them in cheap hotels. But while preparing the bill, he has included the expense of providing good food to the children and also created fake bills of the accommodation cost.
The money was released, and he pocketed lakhs of rupees, reported Suvarna News. But now this issue has come to light as RTI activist Anand Kamathara has exposed Umesh with the real bills.
Activist Anand has also released the receipt of food the children had in the temples and the actual price paid for the accommodation. He also claimed that Umesh had misused the money in the name of buying stationary, T-shirts and tour kit.
Anand also pointed out that according to the rules when children are taken out on Karnataka Darshan, they should be made to write an essay and pocketed the prize money of quiz and discussion.
The students who were taken on the excursion spoke to Suvarna representative in this regard, and the details exposed by the activist are found to be correct.
More than reports of utilising the grants there is news about the officials misusing it. Karnataka is no exception as from ministers to grass root officials there are complaints of misappropriation of funds. The substandard roads, students, still waiting for textbooks even after completion of half the term are some examples how the money released for a particular scheme goes missing without being utilised.
In a similar case, especially when students nor their parents are aware of the facilities students taken on excursion should be given, it is easy for the officers to create fake bills and still pose as a good man who the children on a trip.
There is a need to expose such officials, and at the same time, people should be made aware of their rights and even facilities they can avail so that the officers cannot dupe them and pose as good Samaritans.
