BERHAMPUR : The panchayat extension officer (PEO) of Patraguda panchayat under Muniguda block in Rayagada district was placed under suspension on Thursday following allegations of spreading false propaganda related to the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) card.
According to sources, a photograph of Sahadeb Prasaka from Patraguda village was published in the Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha booklet, claiming that Sahadeb, a BSKY cardholder, had been treated for a serious ailment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar and had subsequently recovered, expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister.
The dissemination of this information via social media raised widespread reactions, including a sharp denial from Sahadeb himself, who stated that he was in good health and had not received any treatment in Bhubaneswar or elsewhere.
Despite being in possession of the BSKY card, Sahadeb clarified that he had never availed of any medical services through it.
In response to the controversy and criticism directed towards the Odisha government, collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan instructed the block development officer (BDO) of Muniguda to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
Following inquiry, directed by the collector, Rayagada Zilla Parishad executive officer Nihar Ranjan Kanhar suspended PEO Pravakar Nalla from service. The suspended PEO has been directed to report to the Muniguda block office until the completion of the investigation into the incident.