Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh: Balrampur authorities have uncovered a major fraud of nearly ₹11 crore in the mid-day meal scheme, prompting the registration of an FIR against 45 people and the arrest of five individuals, including a village head, an assistant teacher and a headmaster. The case came to light after the district Basic Shiksha Adhikari filed a complaint on Thursday, alleging large-scale manipulation of official records used to determine fund allocation.
Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar said the accused tampered with Excel sheets generated through the department’s IVRS portal, which records the number of students enrolled in each school. These figures directly influence the funds sanctioned under the conversion cost formula for mid-day meals.
Investigators found that, instead of uploading the approved Excel sheet for direct transfer of funds, the accused altered the numbers to increase allocations for select schools and reduce amounts for others. The total figure remained unchanged, allowing the fraud to go undetected. Police said the additional funds received by favoured schools were later withdrawn and distributed among village heads, headmasters and school management committee presidents involved in the scheme.
Those arrested include Firoz Ahmad, headmaster Ashok Kumar, village head Naseem Ahmad, committee president Mohammad Ahmedul Qadri and assistant teacher Malik Munawwar. Police said more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
