The audit was carried out after complaints of the scholarship fraud were forwarded to the PMO.
Following allegations of a scholarship fraud at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), under the Ministry of Culture, a special audit report has found irregularities in appointment and recruitment, procurement and delegation of financial and administrative powers in the centre. The audit was carried out after complaints of the scholarship fraud were forwarded to the PMO.
On February 13, The Indian Express had reported that a computer operator with CCRT has been accused of “tinkering with a scholarship software”, and siphoning scholarship money disbursed by the centre to children in various artistic fields.
The Indian Express had first reported about scholarship money being siphoned on February 13.
Delhi Police had registered a case under IPC Section 420 after CCRT Director G C Joshi filed a complaint. The CCRT, in an internal report, stated that “16 others may be complicit in the scam”.
The audit looked into the internal workings of the CCRT, and castigated the director. It alleged loss of revenue; diversion of funds; recruitment of contractual staff without following rules and procedures; and drawing additional benefits by financially upgrading the scale without following DoPT rules and norms.
The report also recommended that all approvals taken by Joshi since 2012 as director be made null and void, and that he be sent on leave or suspension till an inquiry is conducted.
Joshi denied any wrongdoing and claimed he was working as per rules laid down by the Ministry of Culture. “We have brought forward the complaints in the scholarship irregularities and the main culprit has not been arrested yet,” he said.
The case was shifted to the Crime Branch after a PIL was filed by advocate Brajesh Kumar. “The case has been transferred after a High Court order,” said DCP (Dwarka) Shibesh Singh. However, JCP (Crime Branch) Alok Kumar said the “case files are yet to reach them, and only then will we comment on the case”.
In the Lok Sabha on March 19, when Union MoS for Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma was asked about remedial measures taken by the government in the wake of the fraud, he had replied: “CCRT has already initiated various departmental measures, and checks and balances in consultation with bank authorities, so as to avoid recurrence of such lapses in future… and also ensure timely release of payments to scholarship holders”.
As per the Minister’s reply, there are 325 cases of non-payment, while approximately Rs 51 lakh has been siphoned. The report stated: “… the director operates in an arbitrary manner. This opens up questions about submission of deceptive utilisation certificates for the release of funds by the Ministry.”
The report also said the director hired 72 contractual staff, against the sanctioned strength of 34, without following a bidding process or taking prior approval.