Malda: A massive scam has rocked Malda, as authorities uncovered the misappropriation of funds meant for the purchase of tablets for students in several schools. A total of 91 students from multiple schools in the district have been deprived of their share of government-funded tablet money, which was intended to aid their education.
The issue first came to light on Saturday, when the District Inspector (DI) of Schools (Secondary) of Malda Education department received a report about irregularities in the distribution of tablet funds at Kendpukur High School, located in Habibpur block. According to sources from the Malda Education department, two other schools in the district — Kanua Bhavanipur High School in Harishchandrapur and DB Care School in Gazole — have also been implicated in the scam.
The total amount misappropriated from these schools is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of rupees.
The state government had allocated Rs 10,000 per student for purchasing tablets for students in classes 11 and 12 under a state-sponsored initiative, ‘Taruner Swapna’. While the Kendpukur High School authorities received the money, none of the students received their tablets.
Irregularities were flagged when the data submitted by the schools did not match the details on the official google form submitted for the distribution process.
Bani Brata Das, DI Malda, said: “The funds intended for the students were transferred to personal bank accounts in various locations, including Delhi, Assam, Cooch Behar, Asansol and even within Malda, including Gazole, English Bazar and Pakua in Bamangola. Investigations have shown that the funds were siphoned off to these accounts without the knowledge of the students or their families.”
In response to the growing scam, the Malda Education department filed formal complaints with the local police and FIRs have been registered against the headmasters of the implicated schools. Teacher-in-charge of Kendpukur High School, Dulal Mandal, has come under scrutiny. In his defense, Mandal claimed that the school’s clerk had handled the fund distribution and assured him that everything was in order. However, following the investigation, clerk Rajesh Chowdhury has been named as a key suspect and a written complaint has been lodged against him with the Habibpur police.
As the investigation continues, officials are working to recover the misappropriated funds and bring those responsible to justice.