Usha Patwari suspended

The State government on Monday suspended Usha Patwari, General Manager of Karnataka State Women’s Development Corporation on the recommendation of the Lokayukta police.

Patwari has been under investigation by the Lokayukta police for her role in the mismanagement and misappropriation in the implementation of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), when she was the Deputy Director of ICDS.

Two FIRs have been registered against Patwari, one for her role in the Integrated Child Development Scheme scam and another for possessing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.

The Lokayukta police, who conducted raids on her office and residence on March 9, 2012, unearthed 75 bank accounts and two lockers in the  Dharwad branch of the State Bank of Hyderabad.

She was found to possess money in excess of Rs two crore. The police had also unearthed Rs 4.9 lakh in cash, 655 gram  gold and 10 kg silver. Soon after the raids were conducted, she was shifted from her post as Deputy Director to the Women’s Development Corporation.

The government has already placed former Director of the Department, IAS officer Shamla Iqbal and Assistant Director Muniraju under suspension.

Charges of pilferage

Apart from possession of disproportionate assets, charges against Shamla Iqbal, Patwari and Muniraju relate to pilferage, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds allocated for the Integrated Child Development Scheme, where a large component dealt with providing supplementary nutrition to children in anganwadis, pregnant women, lactating mothers and adolescents.
Both the matters are currently under investigation.