Kanpur (UP):
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday suspended the social welfare officer of Kanpur in connection with major irregularities in distribution of marriage grants under the government’s ‘Shaadi Anudan Yojana’.
The social welfare officer, Amarjeet Singh, has been suspended and attached to the state headquarters of the social welfare department in the state capital, official sources said.
Kanpur Chief Development Officer (CDO) Mahendra Kumar said the district magistrate had sent a detailed report on Thursday recommending strong action against Singh, who has been placed under suspension for extending benefits to ineligible candidates under the state government’s Shaadi Anudan Yojana.
As many as five lekhpals’ (revenue officers), a clerk and several ‘kanoongo’ (revenue clerk officers) had earlier been suspended for their alleged role in benefitting ineligible candidates under the scheme, he said.
During inquiry, hundreds of ineligible candidates were found to have benefitted under the Shaadi Anudan Yojana and the irregularities were estimated to be to the tune of around Rs 5 crore, the CDO said.
It came to light that many beneficiaries who were shown as single were already married, besides in some other cases, parents received grants despite not having daughters in the family. In some other cases, addresses of the candidates were found to be fake, he added.
The state government under the ‘Shaadi Anudan Yojana’ provides monetary grants for the wedding of girls belonging to poor families who get themselves registered 90 days before the marriage.
