M S Choudhary ex-Director Tribal Affairs again booked by ACB

Misappropriation of Scholarship funds for imparting vocational training to ST students in North

jj correspondent

Srinagar, Sep 14: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today against booked M S Choudhary the then Director of Tribal Affairs in a fresh case for Misappropriation of Scholarship funds during the year 2014-2017 meant for imparting vocational training to ST students in frontier Districts of North Kashmir, Kupwara, Bandipura and Baramulla.
According to an ACB spokesperson, a verification was conducted by (ACB) Police Station Baramulla into the allegations of irregularities in PMS Scheme (Post Matric Scholarship Scheme funded by central Govt) by then Director Tribal Affairs namely M. S. Choudhary and others revealed that then Director Tribal Affairs J&K MS Choudhary, during the year 2014 to 2017 while implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme known as “Post Matric Scholarship (PMS)” meant for the students belonging to ST Category committed gross violations while disbursement of funds to the private institutes which imparted computer training courses to the students of the ST community.
The probe conducted revealed that an amount of Rs. 2,06,41,000/- was released by then Director Tribal Affairs J&K, as a fees component for different sessions vide various orders in favour of nine computer Institutions falling within Districts Bandipora, Baramulla & Kupwara on account of imparting computer training to 1272 students belonging to ST Category during the session 2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17 under Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, besides released an amount of Rs. 29,25,600/- in favour of these students as maintenance allowance also. The probe further revealed that fictitious names of students were found illegally and fraudulently shown in the record and payments were released in favour of computer institutes as tuition fees against the names of these some amount was also released as maintenance allowance against those fictitious/fabricated entries in the name of various students who actually neither applied for such course nor attended the training in the said institutes during the period in question.
The probe also revealed that the allocation of funds under the PMS Scheme was done by then Director Tribal Affairs M.S Choudhary to the institutes by following the old/outdated guidelines prescribed in the year 1995 by intentionally bye-passing/ignoring the relevant/applicable guidelines in vogue issued by Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India in the year 2010. By virtue of these fresh guidelines, he was bound to release/transfer the fee component directly into the personal accounts of students instead of to computer institutes. It was also found during the probe that the then Director Tribal Affairs J&K had falsely shown the constitution of various committees for ensuring proper verification and disbursement of funds under the scheme whereas it was found during the probe that most of the officers named in these committees were already transferred out from department and were not working there at the time of preparing of these orders. The verification conducted established that the then Director Tribal Affairs J&K M.S Choudhary, by way of gross abuse of his official position & authority under a well-knit conspiracy with the various owners of computer institutes situated in District Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipura released huge payments against the names of those fictitious/fabricated students on account of fees and maintenance charges thereby conferred undue pecuniary benefits upon beneficiary owners of the institutes and corresponding loss to Government exchequer.
Accordingly on completion of the enquiry a case FIR No 09 -2023 under section 5(1)(c)(d) r/w section 5(2) of J&K Preventive of Corruption Act Svt; 2006 and section 120-B, 467, 468, 471 RPC was registered at Police Station ACB Baramulla against M.S Choudhary, then Director Tribal Affairs and the Owner of SoftTech Computer Education Institute Kunzer Baramulla & Owner of Intech Computer Educational System Bandipura. It is pertinent to mention that a case FIR no. 02/2020 at Police Station ACB Rajouri U/S 5(1)(c), 5(1)(d) r/w section 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, Svt. 2006 and section 120-B RPC was registered against M.S. Choudhary, then Director Tribal Affairs J&K, and other officers/officials of Tribal Affairs Department for misappropriation of funds meant for providing financial assistance to Scheduled Tribes students studying at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage in Border District of Jammu Division, Rajouri in connivance with Proprietor of M/S International Computer Training Centre Rajouri for their pecuniary gains by manipulating record and violating the guidelines of Post Matric Scholarship Scheme, have misappropriated the Government money to the tune of Rs. 66,84,400/- with a subsequent loss to the state exchequer.