Balod: Out of the 15th Finance Commission, many cases have emerged that show financial corruption in the Kohangatola Gram Panchayat of Balod district, which is an example of this. There were reports that the Sarpanch and the Secretary of the Gram Panchayat embezzled the money by using the funds to buy food items, including eggs, cigarettes, and gram flour, to mention but a few.
The matter was established when a resident, Yugalkishore Sinha lodged an RTI application to know more about the expenditure. The information disclosed certain anomalies in which public money was embezzled to purchase items that are in no way related to the developmental objectives of the Gram Panchayat.
After this revelation, the villagers filed a police complaint with the District Collector, expecting tangible action for the misuse of the funds. To this, Additional Collector Chandrakant Kaushik had said that the CEO of District Panchayat would be called for the report on the complaint. Further probe will then be made to establish the extent of the irregularities as well as those involved.
Local people have been angered by this case and are now wondering the fate of their elected leaders in the government. The non-utilization or embezzlement of funds from projects that seek to rotate around the improvement of rural development is not only counterproductive but it also undermines a community’s faith in leadership channels. The citizens have been demanding that the administration apply measures to prevent the misuse of state funds.
Such investigations will continue to show the need for local accountability and the proper use of public resources as they should be used.
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