 "Legal action to be initiated against some teachers in Odisha")
Legal action is likely to be initiated against some teachers, who have allegedly misappropriated funds without completing school buildings in Odisha's Gajapati district.
Around Rs 56.30 lakh was embezzled allegedly by 23 teachers in the district. The scam came to light during a review, said a senior official.
The district administration recently asked six block education officers (BEOs) to lodge FIRs against the teachers, official sources said. There are eight such teachers in Mohana, Nuagada (6), Gumma (3) and two each in Rayagada, R Udayagiri and Kasinagara blocks.
Around Rs 1.12 crore was sanctioned to teachers in the district between 2006 and 2015 for construction of school buildings under Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan (SSA), the official said.
Despite repeated reminders from the administration to the 23 teachers, they did not pay any heed and claimed that the structures had been completed, the sources said.
Out of the 23, two teachers, one each in R Udayagiri and Nuagada block, retired two years ago.
Gajapati district Collector Mansi Nimbhal had warned them to complete the works at the review meetings, but in vain. "We had issued show-cause notices to the teachers. They also promised to refund the amounts. But they did not keep their word," said Nimbhal.
