Uncovering Corruption: Allegations of Misuse in Keonjhar District Mineral Foundation

Allegations of Fund Mismanagement in Keonjhar

Keonjhar/Hatadihi: Recent reports have surfaced alleging irregularities and financial mismanagement within the Keonjhar District Mineral Foundation (DMF). It appears that tenders were solicited prior to the official approval or sanctioning of projects.

Former MLA Subarna Naik has raised concerns that numerous projects under the DMF were executed without the necessary prior approvals, suggesting that a thorough investigation could reveal corruption among the officials involved.

Bhagaban Mallick, secretary of Anandapur Civil Society, has called for the recovery of misappropriated funds and for strict penalties against those found culpable.

According to DMF case record No-17/2024, the 10th trust board had allocated a budget of Rs 12.89 crore for project serial no-24.

DMF case record No. 43/2024 indicates that administrative approval was granted twice through DMF office orders no-1039 on July 1, 2021, and no-178 on January 11, 2023. The project was subsequently canceled and reapproved under DMF order no-184 on January 12, 2023, with an administrative sanction of Rs 96.21 crore. Of this amount, Rs 32.28 crore was allocated in three phases to the District Fisheries Officer (DFO) as the executing agency.

However, tenders for the project were invited by the District Fisheries Officer on September 13, 2022, and an agreement was signed on December 20, 2022, prior to the administrative approval and sanction, as noted in letter no-388 dated January 29, 2025.

In another instance, the 10th Trust Board approved an estimated cost of Rs 50 lakh for project serial no-210. Yet, DMF case record no-74/2024 reveals that DMF office orders no-2391 and 2392, dated October 29, 2024, sanctioned Rs 12 crore through administrative approval for this project.

The District Skill Development office, which was the implementing agency along with the Employment Officer, received a grant of Rs 3.60 crore. However, the agreement was signed on March 16, 2024, before the project’s grant approval.

For the 352nd project on the 11th trust board’s list, an estimated expenditure of Rs 32 crore was approved. Yet, DMF order no-3256, dated October 26, 2023, granted administrative approval for Rs 85.83 crore.

In one phase, the Deputy Director of Horticulture, the implementing agency, was sanctioned half of the grant, as recorded in DMF Case Record no-43/2024.

It was also discovered that the grant sanction did not adhere to the state chief secretary’s 2019 directive, which mandated a 30:40:30 funding ratio.