ADILABAD: The government is spending crores of rupees to provide quality food to tribal students in Ashram schools. However, instead of feeding hungry stomachs, the funds are said to be pocketed by hostel wardens and other officials. In Adilabad alone, an estimated Rs 5.18 crore have been reportedly swindled by rigging student records every year.According to sources, about 30,000 children are studying in 126 Ashram schools under the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in the district, where the government spends approximately Rs 5 lakh per day to provide breakfast, two times meal and fruits. The expenditure comes to about Rs 1.5 crore per month.Though records show that funds are being put to good use and students are being provided nutritious food, the reality appears to be altogether different.Recently, ITDA Project Officer R Muthyala Raju made a sudden visit to the Chandpally Ashram school in Bela mandal. To his surprise, he found only 12 students as against the total strength of 160 marked as present in the attendance register. It is suspected that the hostel warden, by faking school enrolment records, managed to divert about Rs 4.21 lakh over the last one year.It is learnt that the Agency tribal welfare officers (ATWOs), recruited for inspection of Ashram schools to check absenteeism and dropouts, are also working hand-in-glove with hostel wardens. Sources said hostel wardens and ATWOs are reportedly rigging student records and withdrawing the quota of rice and other food material. Despite dropouts and absence of students from hostels, officials are reportedly withdrawing the total quota of food material and later selling it outside.A survey conducted by a 60-member team under the Rajeev Vidya Mission (RVM) in all government schools two months ago revealed that about 30 percent of students are either dropping out, or are absent, from Ashram schools across the district. Going by the survey, about 9,000 students are not attending Ashram schools, but the quota of rice and other food materials is being withdrawn in full.Food material worth about Rs 45 lakh is being misappropriated every month and Rs 5.4 crore per annuam on average, it is estimated. However, the ITDA officials are not ready to accept it stating that misappropriation of funds cannot be generalised based on the absence of students on a single day at a school. The hostel warden at Chandapally was let off with severe warning by the ITDA project officer after a probe into the misappropriation charge.
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