The Sports Board of Adikavi Nannaya University (AKNU - Rajamahendravaram) has come under the scanner of the State government for allegedly adopting fraudulent means to claim funds during the period 2010 to 2018.
The board had allegedly claimed funds by submitting forged bills with forged signatures of scores of Physical Education Directors (PDs) of the university-affiliated colleges in East and West Godavari districts.
The financial irregularities in the Sports Board had come to light after the university’s former Officer on Special Duty, A.S.V.S. Samkrutyayan, lodged a written complaint on Tuesday with the government and the Chairman of the A.P. State Higher Education Council, seeking a detailed investigation into the fraud. A copy of the written complaint is with The Hindu .
The whistleblower had also submitted to the government the evidence gathered by invoking the RTI Act.
“Many bills claimed (between 2010 and 2018) by former Sports Board Secretary A. Satyanarayana in the name of scores of Physical Education Directors of the affiliated colleges have been forged. The PDs concerned have revealed this in their RTI replies, and the same have been enclosed in the complaint,” Mr. Samkrutyayan said.
The PDs of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Theistic College and Andhra Kesari Degree College in Rajamahendravaram had also revealed that their signatures were forged, he said.
“The modus operandi of Mr. Satyanarayana was to submit the bills with the forged signatures of the PDs, claiming their financial entitlements and allowances for attending the sports events. The university had also given him the cheque power, which was against the existing finance guidelines in the case of an ‘ad hoc’ employee,” Mr. Samkrutyayan said in his complaint.
Speaking to The Hindu , AKNU Registrar T. Ashok said, “We did not receive any written complaint from anyone on the alleged financial fraud in the university’s Sports Board. However, we will investigate the issue if any complaint, or directive from the higher authorities is received.”
Prof. Ashok said that Mr. Satyanarayana had been serving as PD in Kakinada campus since his transfer in 2018.
