Bhubaneswar: Several educational institutions in Odisha have allegedly siphoned off crores of rupees by indulging in large-scale fraud in the name of student scholarships, a shocking revelation made during a review by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Fake certificates and ‘ghost students’ used to divert funds

According to the findings, forged caste and income certificates of students were used in multiple cases to illegally claim scholarship amounts. In some instances, scholarships were even drawn in the names of “ghost students”, who did not exist.

Engineering colleges, officials implicated

The CAG review has reportedly found the involvement of certain government officials and authorities of various engineering colleges in misappropriating scholarship funds meant for eligible students.

Mismatch in Prerna portal data

As per the CAG report, there was no proper reconciliation between the data available on the Prerna portal and the list of students who were actually granted scholarships. In several cases, the names of beneficiaries were either mismatched or altogether missing from the portal records.

Rs 1.38 Crore paid on basis of forged documents

The audit revealed that scholarships amounting to Rs 1.38 crore were disbursed to students who had submitted fake caste and income certificates. Despite clear identification of such bogus beneficiaries in CAG Report No. 3, recovery of the misappropriated amount to the state exchequer has not been possible so far.

Rs 7.40 crore transferred to illegal bank accounts

In another serious lapse, scholarships worth Rs 7.40 crore were transferred to illegal bank accounts without proper verification of supporting documents, the report noted.

Irregularities found during 2017–20 Audit period

These alarming irregularities came to light during the CAG audit conducted for the period between the financial years 2017–18 and 2019–20, raising serious concerns over monitoring mechanisms and accountability in the scholarship disbursement system.