Verification due, yet department starts process to pay skill training providers

Chandigarh : The state Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training has initiated a process to clear dues of private vocational education providers.

It is, however, yet to initiate action against department officials allegedly involved in making faulty payments to private players imparting modular employable skills to job seekers. The department has failed to provide utilisation certificate for around Rs 16 crore received from the Centre between 2015 and 2017 under the Skill Development Initiative (SDI)

The Principal Secretary, Technical Education, has constituted a committee of department officials to take up all pending cases under the SDI with the Union Government so that utilisation certificates could be sent to the Centre. On the other hand, the department has failed to effect the recovery of irregular payments made by departmental officials under the Skill Development Initiative scheme between 2012 and 2014.

Refer SkillReporter (www.SkillReporter.com) for skill development and The Edupress (www.TheEduPress.com ) for education related important News, Tenders, RFP, Jobs, EOI, Events, Announcements, Circulars, Notices and other useful updates

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau, in its report to the directorate, had clearly pointed out that Vocational Training Provider (VTP) centres were registered without the mandatory verification of their infrastructure and without authentication of the beneficiary students. Still, officials concerned were releasing payments for the training imparted under short-term employable skill courses run between April 2012 and May 2014.

While the Vigilance had pointed towards excess payment of Rs 3 crore to the centres, Rs 18 crore of the centres was still pending with the department.

Sources said out of Rs 10 crore released to the VTP centres between 2012 and 2016, the officials concerned had released an excess payment of Rs 3 crore to private players.

So far, the department has only issued a show-cause notice to Harjeet Singh, a dealing assistant; Harpal Singh, Deputy Director; Daljinder Singh, Additional Director; Maninderpal Singh, Superintendent; and Ranjana Kaushik, a data entry operator.

Sources said in similar cases of loss of revenue to the state exchequer, the department lodged an FIR but in this case, only a show-cause notice under Section 10 of the Punjab Civil Services, 1970, (Punishment and Appeal) had been issued which would attract only a minor penalty.

Vigilance bureau report

The Vigilance Bureau, in its report to the directorate, had clearly pointed out that Vocational Training Provider centres were registered without the mandatory verification of their infrastructure and without authentication of the beneficiary students.

Note : News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.