Major Rs 11 Crore Scam Uncovered in UP's Mid-Day Meal Scheme

A Rs 11 crore scam in Uttar Pradesh's mid-day meal scheme, involving manipulation of records, led to FIR against 45 people and arrest of five, including a village head and an assistant teacher. Allegedly, funds were diverted through inflated Excel sheets on the department's IVRS portal.

In a major revelation, a scam amounting to Rs 11 crore in the mid-day meal scheme has emerged in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh. The fraudulent activity has prompted an FIR against 45 individuals and the arrest of five, including a village head and an assistant teacher, police reported on Thursday.

The district's Basic Siksha Adhikari filed a complaint accusing the manipulation of government records tied to the mid-day meal initiative. Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar explained that the fraud involved tampered Excel sheets on the department's IVRS portal, which tracks student enrollments. Based on these figures, funds are allocated by the government, post district magistrate approval, via direct school account transfers.

Instead of uploading genuine documents, the accused allegedly modified amounts, favoring certain schools and reducing others', concealing discrepancies since overall totals stayed consistent. These additional funds were subsequently distributed among implicated headmasters, village heads, and school management committee presidents. Police arrested individuals including Firoz Ahmad and Ashok Kumar, with more apprehensions likely as investigations proceed.

(With inputs from agencies.)