AJSU (All Jharkhand Student Union) Party Central General Secretary and former MLA Dr. Lambodar Mahato on Thursday alleged massive financial irregularities worth crores of rupees in the District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds across Jharkhand. He demanded a CBI inquiry into what he called “open loot” of public money meant for the development of mining-affected areas.
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Rs. 631 Crores Irregularities in Bokaro Alone
Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, Mahato said that Jharkhand had received Rs. 16,474 crores under DMFT till July-end but claimed that the funds were being misused across districts. “In Bokaro alone, irregularities worth more than Rs. 631 crore have been detected. Thousands of schemes were added without the approval of the governing body and projects were allotted without tendering,” he alleged. He said that wall painting contracts for schools were issued at 220% above market rates, costing Rs. 4.79 crore, and where Rs. 60 crore was spent on coaching projects already covered under state and central skill schemes.
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Mahato said digital mapping projects were over-invoiced by nearly three times, causing a loss of Rs. 10 crore, and Rs. 24.72 crore was paid for tab distribution in 260 schools even though the scheme remained incomplete. “The actual cost of installing 177 high mast lights was Rs. 9.35 crore, but payments of Rs. 18.75 crore were released,” he said, adding that in one case, Rs. 91 lakh cash was seized with DMFT suppliers present. He also alleged that some district officials’ family-run firms were beneficiaries of inflated contracts.
Direct Violation of Financial Rules
Targeting the Hemant Soren-led Government, Mahato said the state keeps complaining about pending mining royalty payments from the Centre while allowing misuse of DMFT funds. “This is a direct violation of financial rules and administrative norms. If the Government is serious, it must order an independent CBI probe,” he said.
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