Bhubaneswar, The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has flagged several financial irregularities and deficiencies in the implementation of the 5T High School Transformation Programme of the previous BJD government in Odisha.
The programme was implemented by Mo School Abhiyan Parichalana Sangathan , Odisha School Education Programme Authority and district collectors. During the audit, the CAG observed gross irregularities, including suspected misappropriation of programme funds, fraudulent payments and procurements made without following guidelines, among others. The BJD government’s School and Mass Education Department introduced the programme in 2021 to transform infrastructure in schools and make them better places of learning. A sum of ₹ 57.95 lakh from the HSTP fund was spent on Badachana Women’s Higher Secondary School, which was a private educational institution not eligible for assistance under HSTP, according to the report. The auditor also suspected misappropriation of HSTP and Mo School Abhiyan funds amounting to ₹ 12.48 lakh in Ranihat High School, Cuttack and ₹ 30 lakh in Nandipur High School under Dasarathpur block of Jajpur district.
