Patna: The scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare department minister, Lakhendra Kumar Raushan, had a first-hand experience of corruption in offices on Saturday when a person seated in front of him called an employee regarding payment to him under a govt scheme.The accused employee in Sitamarhi district, on the other side of the phone call, could be heard saying, “Pay Rs50,000, only then will the grant amount be credited to your account.” The conversation was recorded on both audio and video.The minister told TOI that the accused data operator and a clerk have been suspended and show-cause notice has been issued to the Sitamarhi district welfare officer.After hearing the conversation on phone speaker, the minister called the Sitamarhi district welfare officer and ordered the immediate suspension of the accused data operator, Chandan Kumar. He asked the official, “An employee sitting right next to you is openly demanding money, and you aren’t even aware of it?”The complainant in an SC/ST case registered at the Sonbarsa police station was unable to receive the grant amount due from the district welfare office. The case is related to alleged thrashing of the complainant’s daughter and the accused were not punished. He met the minister alleging that a bribe of Rs50,000 was being demanded to release the grant money. The minister asked him to call the employee concerned. The complainant called Chandan, a data operator at the Sitamarhi district welfare office.The minister said the SC/ST victim of a criminal case gets compensation under the Act. In case of murder, the victim’s family gets Rs8.25 lakh compensation and a govt job, he added.The minister also warned the district welfare official that if timely action was not taken, proceedings would be initiated against him as well.
