Jajpur (Odisha), Feb 20 (PTI) The Odisha government has placed a woman Sarpanch in Jajpur district under suspension on the charge of misappropriating public money, an official order said on Thursday.

It is alleged that Sanjukta Mohanty, Sarpanch of Gramnandipur gram panchayat under Dasarathapur block, embezzled government funds of Rs 11,72,500, according to the order issued by the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department.

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The funds were meant for the development of the panchayat under various schemes and sanctioned by the Central Finance Commission (CFC),

Mohanty was not immediately available for comment.

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A social activist, Jayant Sadangi, brought the misappropriation issue to the notice of the Jajpur collector last year.

Collector P Anvesha Reddy asked the district panchayat officer to inquire into the allegation and it was found to be true, officials said.

The government order said that Mohanty had violated provisions of the Odisha Gram Panchayat Act, 1964, and abused her power, acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the panchayat's residents.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)