In a first-of-its-kind order, Devendra Fadnavis, the home minister of Maharashtra, said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would look into any accusations of corruption involving the Nashik education department.
The previous chief minister, Prithviraj Chavan, has suggested that the education department should work with organizations like the ED to eradicate the deeply rooted roots of corruption. Chavan had proposed that the ED conduct money laundering investigations since it seems that the pre-existing rules are not benefiting the department of education.
A report claims that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Nashik caught education official Sunita Dhanagar as she was reportedly receiving a bribe of Rs 55,000. She had requested a payment from a school administrator who had been put on administrative leave but wanted to return because of court orders. However, the principal proceeded to Dhanagar to file a complaint since the school administration was not in agreement.
The ACB then found Rs 83 lakh in cash, 320 kilos of gold, and records for three Nashik homes.
In the Lower House, NCP lawmaker Rohit Pawar brought up the problem of corruption in the department of education. He said that corruption in such a department is intolerable and added that it has an impact on families whose children attend public schools because they cannot afford private education.
Suresh Mandhare, the state’s commissioner of education, requested the ACB to take action against 40 employees who had been seen accepting bribes in the previous three years; chargesheets had been submitted in 33 of the instances, according to Fadnavis. However, according to the law, suspended employees must be restored within nine months, Fadnavis stressed. They may be reinstated as education officials simply because they have no side posts. Legal action is now required since even stopping their payments seems to have little impact.
According to reports, Chavan, the person who proposed bringing in ED, claimed that while the organization looked into instances of economic crimes, money laundering, etc., it should also use the money laundering rules to root out corruption in the education department. In contrast to the existing legal penalty for corruption, the outcome would be a rigorous punishment that is significantly more effective.
In response to BJP MLA Seema Hire’s concern over corruption in the Nashik education department, Fadnavis said, “As per Mr. Chavan’s suggestions of using ED, this is the first case that we will ask ED to investigate.”
The Home Minister also said that the government is debating whether to centralize the recruiting procedure for supported private schools in order to combat corruption, according to sources, during a debate on education.
Coaching courses have decreased student attendance at schools, he said. Fadnavis said that government-aided schools would get guidance about student attendance in light of this.
According to Fadnavis, the state administration would know the precise number of pupils in the state after everyone’s Aadhaar registration is complete.
