Ballia, May 2 (PTI) The appointments of two women as Anganwadi workers in this Uttar Pradesh district were cancelled after it was found that they had secured the positions using fake BPL certificates, senior officials said on Friday.
A revenue official involved in issuing the forged documents is also facing departmental action, they said.
Chief Development Officer Ojaswi Raj told PTI that the appointments were made in March at two Anganwadi centres under the Belhari project -- Bajrha village and Repura village -- in Ballia Sadar tehsil.
The women -- Gudiya from Repura village and Amrita Dubey from Bajrha village -- had submitted BPL certificates showing their family income as less than Rs 3,800 per month.
However, following a complaint, it came to light that both their husbands are employed in government service -- one with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the other as a 'shiksha mitra (contractual teacher)'. As such, both applicants were ineligible for BPL status, Raj said.
A formal inquiry was ordered by the tehsildar that confirmed neither of the families qualified for BPL benefits and the certificates submitted were forged. The investigation also revealed the involvement of a 'lekhpal (revenue official)', Divyanshu Kumar Yadav of Aamghat in Ballia Sadar tehsil, who allegedly colluded with the applicants to issue the fake BPL certificates.
"In view of this serious irregularity, both appointments have been cancelled with immediate effect," Raj said.
He added that the child development project officer had been instructed to lodge FIRs against the two women and the Ballia Sadar subdivisional magistrate directed to initiate disciplinary action against the revenue official.