Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Sep 21 (IANS) Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has ordered a probe into the alleged embezzlement in border area grant in Punjab, a senior Congress leader said here Friday.

Congress MP from Gurdaspur Pratap Singh Bajwa, who met Shinde in New Delhi Thursday, said the home minister has directed union home secretary to conduct the probe in a time-bound manner.

Punjab’s Scheduled Castes/Backward Classes Welfare Minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who was in-charge of border area development programme, was forced to resign earlier this month after the alleged involvement of his former aide in misappropriation of public funds disbursement was reported by media.

Ranike represents the border assembly seat of Attari. Attari, in Amritsar district, is famous for the land border joint check post on the international border between India and Pakistan.

Bajwa demanded that the misuse of border funds be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s federal investigating agency.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also ordered a vigilance inquiry into the embezzlement of funds.

“Although a vigilance probe is on and the minister concerned has also resigned, an independent agency like CBI should investigate the matter so that the truth comes out early and the culprits are punished,” Bajwa said.

He demanded that the central government also stop further grants to the Punjab government till the probe is on and order audit of all the centrally-sponsored schemes being run in the last five years in Punjab.