Overview
- An audit of 11 of Odisha’s 22 Integrated Tribal Development Agencies for 2018–23 found Rs 148.75 crore in personal-style transactions from engineer-operated bank accounts, indicating suspected misappropriation.
- Rs 621.79 crore was routed to 71 such accounts, with 67 showing ATM withdrawals, UPI payments, mobile recharges, insurance premia and e‑commerce spends.
- The CAG said sampled ITDAs failed to prepare mandatory annual accounts and violated OPWD and procurement norms, and it documented poor spending efficiency and flawed water projects under AMRUT and BASUDHA.
- The report urged the SC/ST Development Department to stop engineer-run accounts, review all transactions across ITDAs and fix responsibility for suspected diversion of funds.
- The department signaled it will examine the flagged transactions, while Congress leader Rama Chandra Kadam requested an independent, time-bound investigation and recovery of misused money.