Officials misusing government funds

Published on 5:39:00 AM //

BISHAL BHATTARAI

GULMI, Jan 24: On January 7, the District Population Coordination Committee in Gulmi district held a meeting, which was attended by top district officials, including district health officer, local development officer and administrative officer of the District Administration Office.

The meeting concluded after two hours of long discussion, but matters did not end right there. Immediately, the officials attending the meeting organized an orientation program to be held some other day for members of the District Population Coordination Committee and it was concluded within 15 minutes.

As the second program ended, Nawaraj Kadel, family planning supervisor in the District Public Health Office (DPHO), proposed, “We have another program scheduled for tomorrow. As we all are here, why not organize tomorrow´s program today.” Everybody nodded in agreement and that program held on the same day.

However, officials attending the meetings pocketed allowances meant for two days by singing the attendance register.

Administrative officer at DAO Bishnu Gharti also admitted that two other programs were organized on January 7 after the meeting of the District Population Coordination Committee concluded.

“Kadel organized the program on the same day only to pocket the money allotted for the program,” said a knowledgeable source inside DPHO. The officer did not want to be named fearing internal action from the official.

According to the source, DPHO had provided Rs 40,000 to Kadel for the program. “But he provided Rs 6,900 to 23 participants of the program in allowances and pocketed the remaining balance by holding the program the same day,” alleged the source.

“In the district, high level officers are indirectly involved in corruption in the name of holding various programs. They report us that programs were organized successfully and present fake details of expenses,” said the source.

Kadel, who has been working at DPHO for the last seven years, is reportedly infamous for pocketing the government fund in the name of organizing programs and seminars.

In the budget report of the fiscal year 2011-12, DPHO has mentioned that the authority has completed preparations for the establishment of an information center. The government had provided Rs 150,000 for the purpose, and the DPHO had assigned the task to Kadel. However, the center was recently inaugurated.

“The center should have come into operation some three years ago. But the authority reported the government that the information center has already been established, and the district level government officers embezzled the fund,” accused the source.

Hari Gyawali, a local development officer, who had inaugurated the center on January 7, said he did not know that DPHO had received the budget for the center some three years ago.

In the current fiscal year, the government has provided around 25.6 million rupees for organizing various programs in the district.