Assistant Collector ‘obtains’ land patta under Jaga Mission through wife’s BPL card

Suranjan Mishra Published On : Aug 21, 2022 at 8:34 PM Updated On : Aug 21, 2022 at 9:10 PM

Malkangiri: An Assistant Collector has allegedly obtained a land patta (Record of Rights) here at subsidised rate under Jaga Mission through a BPL card previously issued in the name of his wife, a source said today.

The Assistant Collector Lalit Kumar Mandal presently works as Emergency Officer in Malkangiri district Collector’s Office. Mandal manipulated the BPL card to evade a tax of around Rs 50,000. He allegedly prepared the card in the name of wife Binati Rani under Malkangiri Municipality limits.

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When contacted, the Emergency Officer Mandal said, “I was earlier working outside Malkangiri district. I have no knowledge as to when a BPL card was prepared in the name of my wife.”

It is pertinent to mention, the ambitious scheme was introduced by State government for homeless people residing in the urban areas, in order to rehabilitate them. As per the provision, patta for land measuring in between 1 decimal to 4 decimal is being provided at subsidised rate.

People belonging to BPL category are eligible for land under the Jaga Mission. Accordingly, they are required to pay for every decimal of land.