Bhubaneswar: In a significant anti-corruption drive, three retired government officials of Hatadihi Block in Keonjhar district were convicted by the Special Vigilance Court on Saturday for misappropriation of government rice meant for rural employment schemes.
The convicted officials are former Welfare Extension Officer Gangadhar Naik, former Fishery Extension Officer Ramesh Chandra Sethy and former Progressive Assistant Srikanta Sethy.
All three were posted in Hatadihi Block during the year 2002-03.The Special Judge, Vigilance, Keonjhar, found them guilty under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code for misappropriating government rice allocated under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) for labour-intensive projects.
The court sentenced each of them to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each.
Following their conviction, the Odisha Vigilance Department will now move the competent authority to stop the pension benefits of all three convicted officials.
