Overview

• The Odisha Vigilance Directorate uncovered Rs 80 lakh in misappropriated funds under the Compensatory Afforestation Scheme in Jaypatana Range, Kalahandi district.
• Investigators found that no actual plantation work was conducted, with funds diverted to fictitious labour accounts and withdrawn immediately.
• Five officials, including a deputy range officer, two foresters, and two forest guards, were arrested and are now in judicial custody after bail was denied by a Bhawanipatna Special Judge Court.
• The funds were allocated during the 2023–24 financial year to offset environmental damage from forest land diversion but were instead laundered through falsified records.
• The Anti-Corruption Wing’s investigation into the scheme’s financial diversions and fabricated plantation records is ongoing.