Likewise, the government has suspended Bahuaripidari VDC Secretary Binda Prasad Shaha for embezzling the social security fund, and ordered to send him to jail pending further investigation.[break]
Another 23 staff working under the Sub-metropolis on the basis of political and personal recommendation were laid off with effect from Wednesday.
The Government issued such a directive based on the recommendation of the high-level monitoring and inspection committee led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Development Narayan Kaji Shrestha. The team had recently carried out a monitoring and evaluation of the DDC offices in Bara, Parsa, Kalaiya municipality and Birgunj Sub-metropolis.
Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha told RSS that the step was taken as a positive and qualitative intervention and as per the zero tolerance policy against corruption. "There is a need for collective effort in doing away with the irregularities at the local level so as to reach the fruits of development to the people", he said.
The monitoring team had found the staffs of Birgunj Sub-metropolis of not clearing arrears worth Rs. 19.4 million that they had taken as an advance. As per regulation, one has to pay back the advance amount within 35 days of acquiring it.
The Birgunj sub-metropolis staffs were found to have been carrying arrears on their back worth Rs. seven million to three million. Ironically, the total annual income of the Sub-metropolis is around Rs. 50 million while it has yet to recover in arrears amount equaling Rs. 230 million.
Likewise, Bahuaripidari VDC Secretary Shaha was found to have embezzled Rs. 161,000 through the use of fake receipts of the single women in the VDC receiving the social security allowance.
In follow-up the decisions taken by the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha has also directed the DDCs to ensure that all arrears are cleared off within seven days and that all VDCs maintain their balance sheet within a month.
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