Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance sleuths on Friday arrested a forester for allegedly misappropriating over Rs 55 lakh government funds allocated for environmental conservation projects in Kalahandi district.
Jaya Kumar Juad, posted in the Office of the Forest Range Officer in Biswanathpur under Lanjigarh, was taken into custody following an investigation into irregularities in Soil and Moisture Conservation (SMC) works at plantation sites within Thuamul Rampur Forest Section.
Probes revealed that Juad, possibly with accomplices, systematically siphoned off Rs 55,04,607 during the 2024-25 financial year. The diverted funds were part of critical schemes, including the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Compensatory Afforestation (CA), and Catchment Plan Area (CPA) initiatives.
The embezzlement involved bypassing safeguards at three plantation sites by fabricating muster rolls — listing fictitious labourers or exaggerating hours worked — and forging vouchers for materials and logistics that were never actually purchased or used, a Vigilance release said.
Juad has been charged under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. He is set to be produced in court, with the further investigation underway uncover involvement of others in the scam.
