ED provisionally attaches Rs 2.02 crore assets in IGMSY funds embezzlement
Jul 06, 2020
New Delhi [India], July 6 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached bank balance amounting to Rs 2.02 cores under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case related to embezzlement of funds meant for Indira Gandhi Matritya Sahyog Yojana.
According to the ED, the attached balance was held in the name of Globel India, a proprietorship firm of Pawan Kumar Agrawala, with the State Bank of India in Guwahati.
"Investigation under PMLA was initiated on the basis of the chargesheet filed by Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam against the officials of Social Welfare Department (SWD) and Pawan Kumar Agrawala, Proprietor Globel India," the ED said in a press release.
The case in the matter was registered under several relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act including criminal conspiracy and cheating.
According to the chargesheet, Officials of SWD along with Pawan Kumar Agrawala hatched a criminal conspiracy to siphon off the funds lying in the account maintained for the purposes of direct cash transfer to the beneficiaries under Indira Gandhi Matritya Sahyog Yojana - Conditional Maternity Benefit Scheme (IGMSY-CMB).
"Initially two districts of Assam -- Kamrup and Goalpara -- were chosen for target implementation and under this scheme, an amount of Rs 4,000 was being paid directly to the beneficiaries in three installments," the release said.
"Investigation under PMLA revealed that the funds meant for direct cash transfer under IGMSY-CMB scheme were illegally diverted for purchasing sewing machines and that the tender for the same was illegally awarded to Globel India at exorbitant rates," it added.
The economic offences watchdog said that payments totaling to Rs 3.84 crores were made by the District Social Welfare Offices, Goalpara and DSWO, Kamrup to Globel India for supplying 4,274 sewing machine at Rs 8,999 per machine.
It said that the investigation has revealed that these sewing machines were purchased by Globel India at Rs 4,256 and supplied to the Kamrup and Goalpara District Social Welfare Offices of Social Welfare Directorate at Rs 8,999 per machine.
"Remaining excess amount i.e. proceeds generated by the commission of Scheduled offences amounting to Rs 2.02 cores was siphoned off by the accused Pawan Kumar Agrawala," the ED said .
