Lokayukta recommends Uttar Pradesh minister's removal

Lucknow: Amid the talk of rooting out of corruption, the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta today recommended removal of Small Scale Industry Minister Chandradeo Ram Yadav from the Cabinet after it found him guilty of drawing salary from two places. “Yadav has been found guilty of drawing salary from two places,” Lokayukta Justice NK Mehrotra said.[caption id=“attachment_167796” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta is keeping a vigil on Chief Minister’s Mayawati Cabinet. Image courtesy PIB “]  [/caption] He said Yadav was associated with two schools, one under the primary education department and the other under social welfare department. During an inquiry, Yadav was found to be drawing salary of headmaster of a government-aided school along with that of a minister since 2007. The Lokayukta said while Yadav continued to draw salary as headmaster of the government-aided school, he got transferred salaries of 17 teachers of a school being run under the social welfare department in his own account as the manager. The Lokayukta said it has been recommended that salary drawn as the headmaster of the government-aided school should be recovered with interest from the minister. He said it was mandatory that the salaries of the schools run under the social welfare department should be maintained through a separate account. Justice Mehrotra said he has also recommended action against the district magistrate concerned and the social welfare officer for failing to ensure the opening of the separate bank account to transfer the salaries of teachers. He said it has also been recommended an inquiry by a competent agency into disproportionate assets of the minister should be conducted. So far, five ministers—Rajesh Tripathi, Awadhpal Singh, Badshah Singh, Rangnath Mishra and Ratan Lal Ahirwar—had been removed from their posts after being indicted by the Lokayukta. Welcoming the Lokayukta recommendation to remove Yadav from his post, BJP said it has been proved that ministers in Mayawati government were deep into corruption. PTI