Patna, May 17: Almost every second government official assigned the execution of welfare schemes at the grassroots in the state is allegedly corrupt.

The vigilance and the independent reports from the districts reveal that out of 534 block development officers (BDOs), as many as 280 have been accused of siphoning off public funds under the Indira Awas Yojana and other rural development schemes. Despite being named accused in the FIRs lodged in 38 districts, only a few have been arrested.

The shocking revelation triggers poser on chief minister Nitish Kumar’s battle against corruption. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Bari Siddique expressed surprise over the manner the government had been acting against the “corrupt” officers. “Those facing charges of siphoning of public funds are enjoying plum postings in the districts. The involvement of 280 BDOs in corruption shows the magnitude of the problem. Yet the government talks about maintaining zero tolerance on the issue of corruption,” the RJD leader said.

Water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who speaks on behalf of the chief minister on issues related to the home department, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Official records available with the vigilance investigation bureau, the anti-corruption wing of the state government, revealed that 24 BDOs had been arrested on the charges of accepting bribe from the beneficiaries during the special drive launched against corruption during Nitish’s rule in January 2006.

The latest in the vigilance net is Lalan Prasad Sah, the BDO of Ramnagar (Bagaha) in West Champaran district. He was caught while taking Rs 28,000 for certification of an Anganwadi centre under his jurisdiction on April 8.

The BDOs of Aurai in Muzaffarpur, Navkothi and Bhagwanpur in Begusarai, Adapur in East Champaran, Parwalpur in Nalanda, Bela, Atari and Barachatti in Gaya, Taraiya in Saran, Roh in Nawada, Palasi in Araria, Shivsagar in Rohtas, Ramnagar in West Champaran and Balrampur in Katihar have also been arrested on graft charges.

Besides, several BDOs have been named as accused in cases related to financial irregularities in the implementation of both the central and the state government schemes. Six successive BDOs of Palasi in Araria district — Gayanand Yadav, Bhawanand Rai, A.K. Tiwary, Parvezullah, Ramesh Jha, Shamim Akhter and Surendra Das — have been charged with embezzlement of public funds to the tune of Rs 8 crore.

Gayanand, promoted to the deputy collector rank and subsequently posted in Arwal district, was arrested from Arwal in January last year. The court remanded him in judicial custody. He had allegedly committed the irregularities when he was posted as BDO of Palasi.

Tiwary and Parvezullah were also arrested and sent to jail. Then district magistrate of Araria Amrendra Narayan Singh (now retired) was also made an accused in the scam. The officials were arrested on the order of then district magistrate, N. Sharwanan, who had detected embezzlement worth Rs 8 crore in Indira Awas Yojana in 2010.

A new controversy has raked up over the arrest of senior deputy collector Mukesh Kumar Agarwal from Jamalpur in Munger district on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in plundering of public funds when he was the BDO-cum-programme officer of Dharhara in Munger district. The members of the Munger district unit of the Bihar Administrative Service Association (Basa) launched an agitation and proceeded on mass casual leave today against the arrest of the senior deputy collector.

Sunil Sharma, the president of the Basa, said: “He (Agarwal) is a non-FIR accused and no warrant of arrest was issued against him from the court or any competent authority. Yet, he was arrested and forwarded to jail. The association would take up the matter with the government against the police action.”