Odisha: Retd OAS officer arrested in Rs 36 lakh scholarship scam

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch today arrested Prakash Chandra Rath, a retired OAS officer who was in-charge of Higher Education Department’s Scholarship Section, from his residence at Balianta in connection with a scholarship scam.

The case was registered after an enquiry taken up by the EOW in pursuant to a letter received from Department of Higher Education, Government of Odisha in the matter of financial mismanagement and irregularities in payment of e-Medhabruti (Scholarship) in the year 2014-15 in respect of large number of non-bonafide/ ineligible students, leading to huge loss to the Government exchequer.

It has been ascertained that during the relevant period, the accused was working as the Under Secretary to the Government, Higher Education Department and he in criminal conspiracy with others had sanctioned scholarships to the tune of about Rs 36.10 lakh in favour of as many as 235 non-bonafide/ non-eligible students without getting any validation from the concerned institutes/ colleges and also without placing the same before the Financial Advisor for sanction.

He was forwarded to the court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar after his arrest.