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4 UP social welfare dept officers dismissed, pension cuts ordered for 3 others over graft
Four officers have been dismissed from service, while pension deductions and fund recoveries have been ordered against three retired officers, according to an official statement on Sunday. The action follows investigations conducted under the supervision of minister of state for social welfare (independent charge) Asim Arun, who has also directed that FIRs be lodged against all the accused.
The social welfare department has initiated disciplinary action against seven officers accused of corruption, some of whose cases had been pending for over 15 years. Four officers have been dismissed from service, while pension deductions and fund recoveries have been ordered against three retired officers, according to an official statement on Sunday.
The action follows investigations conducted under the supervision of minister of state for social welfare (independent charge) Asim Arun, who has also directed that FIRs be lodged against all the accused.
Officers dismissed
Action has been taken against Meena Srivastava, who served as district social welfare officer (DSWO), Shravasti, from March 2008 to April 2012. She was found guilty of feeding data into applications under the Chief Minister’s Mahamaya Garib Arthik Madad Yojana without proper approval, altering beneficiary account numbers under various schemes, and embezzling scholarship and fee reimbursement funds. She has been dismissed from service, the statement said.
Karunesh Tripathi, then DSWO, Mathura, was found guilty of serious financial irregularities, including irregular disbursement of ₹2.53 crore to 11 unrecognised private ITIs. The institutions were found to have enrolled “students” aged between 2 and 51 years. She has been dismissed from service, and recovery of ₹19.25 crore has been ordered, as per the statement.
In Hapur, Sanjay Kumar Beas, then DSWO, was found to have transferred ₹2.74 crore of scholarship and fee reimbursement funds directly to educational institutions in violation of government orders. Further investigation revealed falsified student lists and fraudulent scholarship distribution. He has been dismissed from service, with an order to recover ₹3.23 crore, the statement said.
Rajesh Kumar, then DSWO, Shahjahanpur, altered bank account details of beneficiaries under the National Old Age Pension Scheme in 2022-23, diverting funds to ineligible individuals. He has been dismissed from service, and recovery of ₹2.52 crore has been ordered, the statement said.
Action against retired officers
The department has also taken action against three retired officers.
Shri Bhagwan, who served as DSWO, Auraiya, between 2018 and 2020, verified pensioner accounts despite discrepancies in names, resulting in pension transfers to wrong beneficiaries. The probe found a government loss of ₹33.47 lakh. About ₹20 lakh has been recovered from his dues, and a permanent 10% deduction has been imposed on his pension, according to the statement.
Vinod Shankar Tiwari, retired DSWO, Mathura, was found guilty of releasing ₹2.53 crore to 11 unrecognised institutions between 2015-16 and 2019-20. In 2018-19 alone, ₹9.69 crore was paid as scholarship to students who did not appear for examinations. A 50% permanent deduction from his pension has been ordered, along with recovery of ₹1.96 crore, the statement said.
Similarly, Uma Shankar Sharma, retired DSWO, Mathura, released ₹2.53 crore to 11 unrecognised ITIs between 2015-16 and 2019-20, and sanctioned payments for 5,526 more students than the approved capacity. His pension has been permanently reduced by 50%, with recovery of ₹88.94 lakh ordered, the statement said.
