Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a first-of-its-kind order, said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will probe cases of corruption related to the education department in Nashik.
This move came after a suggestion from the former CM Prithviraj Chavan that agencies such as the ED should be brought in to wipe out the deeply ingrained seeds of corruption in the education department. Chavan had suggested that ED should run investigations for money laundering as it seems that the pre-existing laws are not working out for the education department.
According to an Indian Express report, Sunita Dhanagar, an education officer, was trapped by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Nashik while she was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 55,000. She had demanded a bribe from a suspended school principal who – as per court orders– wished to be reinstated. But since the school authorities did not agree, the principal went to Dhanagar to raise a complaint.
Following this, the ACB recovered Rs 83 lakh cash, 320 grams of gold, and documents of three properties in Nashik.
NCP’s legislator Rohit Pawar raised the issue of corruption in the department of education in the Lower House. He said that corruption in such a department is not acceptable, adding that, it affects the families that send their kids to government schools since they can’t afford private school.
State Education Commissioner Suresh Mandhare, in June, urged ACB to act against 40 officials who were caught taking bribes in the last three years, where chargesheets were filed in 33 of the cases, said Fadnavis. Suspended officials, however, must be reinstated within nine months as per law, Fadnavis added. And as there are no side postings from them, they can be taken back as education officers only. Legal action has become necessary as even blocking their payments does not seem to have any effect.
Reportedly, Chavan – who suggested bringing in ED – said that while they investigate cases of economic offences, money laundering, etc., the agency – using the money laundering laws — should be employed to pull out the seeds of corruption in the education department. Its resultant would be a strict punishment which will be much effective in comparison to the current valid punishment for corruption.
“As per Mr Chavan’s suggestions of using ED, this is the first case that we will ask ED to investigate,” Fadnavis said in response to the issue of corruption in the Nashik education department raised by BJP MLA Seema Hire.
Further, during a discussion on education, the Home Minister had said that the government is considering whether to centralise the hiring process for aided private schools to eliminate corruption in the process, reports.
Student attendance in schools has been brought down due to coaching classes, he said. Considering this, Fadnavis said that government-aided schools will be given instructions regarding students’ attendance.
After the Aadhaar registration of all the students is completed, the state government would have the exact number of students in the state, said Fadnavis.
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