Panchayat Officer Arrested for Pension Fund Misuse

An executive officer of a panchayat in Odisha's Jajpur district has been arrested for allegedly mismanaging government funds intended for old-age pensions. The officer, Santosh Kumar Jena, was allegedly skimming these funds while serving at Pimpudia gram panchayat in Sukinda block.

Vigilance teams initiated a probe following accusations that Jena had siphoned off Rs 7.35 lakh meant for pension beneficiaries. The investigation revealed that Jena had not distributed the earmarked funds, diverting the money for personal use instead.

Authorities have registered a case against Jena and are continuing to investigate the incident, which highlights ongoing concerns about corruption within local governance structures.

(With inputs from agencies.)