In a strange development, as many as 11 alive people in Odisha's Kendrapara district were "wrongfully declared dead" and the government aid granted for their funeral was allegedly embezzled, officials told news agency PTI. The incident came to light after one of the said 'deceased' person noticed her name on a list of 11 people Kurunti Gram Panchayat, declared having died in May this year.
Sanyasi Khuntia, one of those 11 people, saw her name on state social security department website with their relatives mentioned as receivers of Rs 2,000 each under the Harishchandra Sahayata Yojana for her funeral.
Furthermore, the relatives of Khuntia claimed that they have not received any money for her funeral under the scheme and it was also revealed that all 11 people mentioned on the list were alive.
Three of the deceased including Khuntia, Pravat Kumar Swain and Ananta Jena registered complaints with the Rajnagar Block Development Officer earlier this week and accused the panchayat officials of embezzlement of government funds.
While Swain runs auto-rickshaw, another 'deceased' Gopinath Khatua works as a plumber in Kerala.
"We have received complaints about the matter and an inquiry has been initiated. If the veracity of the allegations is established, those responsible for misappropriating the funds will be taken to task," PTI quoted BDO Rabindra Pradhan as saying.
Sukanti Pradhan, the relative of another 'deceased', also claimed she has not received any money. The scheme was launched by Odisha government back in 2018 to help poor families complete the last rites of the dead.