Patna,(BiharTimes): A unique way of swindling government money has been evolved in Bihar.

To illegally earn the benefits of centrally-sponsored Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) minor school boys are being married to ghost wives.

According to report in Hindustan Times funds for constructing rural houses under the IAY have allegedly been allotted in the name of women married to minor school boys from BPL families in Bhabanandpur panchayat under Balia block of Begusarai.

The report quoting district administration sources said the names of the beneficiaries include Sachin Ram, a Class III student of a primary school at Bair Shahpur, who has been shown as the husband of a woman named Sheela Devi.

Kundan Ram and Jitendra Ram, also figure on the list of IAY beneficiaries along with their wives Reena Devi and Babita Devi respectively. They too are the students of Class-III from government school at Madhusudanpur. 

Similarly, Babita Devi has been shown as the wife of Class IV student Nilesh Ram, while Leela Devi has been shown as the wife of Raushan Ram, a Class V student. Rahul Das, a Class IX student of the local high school, has a wife called Kumkum Devi in the papers submitted to the officials.

But officials strongly suspected the involvement of middlemen in connivance with the panchayat representatives and block employees.

A sum of Rs 70,000 is given to BPL families for construction of new houses in rural areas. The dwelling units are allotted in the name of the woman member from the beneficiary family or in the name of both the husband and the wife.

Begusarai district magistrate Manoj Kumar has ordered an inquiry into the case. He said he received a complaint about these alleged irregularities from a villager during his weekly Janata Durbar. 

The Director of National Rural Employment Programme, Aflazoor Rahman, has been asked to conduct an inquiry into the case and submit the report in 15 days, the DM said adding that role of local village and block officials would also be looked into during the investigation.

In India the marriage age for a man is 21 years and for a woman 18.