Status: Still under investigation.
When it happened: Between 2013 and 2017.
Summary: Irregularities in Rs 250+ crores disbursed to various training institutes for Skill Development between 2013 and 2017. Over 250 educational institutions are under the scanner. Case being investigated by CBI since May 2019.
HIMCON is a Shimla based Management Consultancy organization. It states "Skill Training" as one of its services.
Excerpts from FIR:
"... In addition to this, on physical verification in regard to Fruit Processing training programme at Nirmand Distt. Kullu, 21 name and addresses out of 25 participants/beneficiaries have found to be fake and fictitious, Rest of 4 name and addresses were verified and found correct and those persons have denied participating any such training programmer nor they received any stipend neither received any training certificate against the training programme from HIMCON, as beneficiary of said training programme...."
".....It is also found that said skill development programme was allotted to M/S Rita Innovation for Fruit Processing training at Karsog, District Mandi and Nirmand, District Kullu, In this regard, Sh Mehar Chand, Managing Partner of Rita Innovations has stated that he did not run any skill development programme under Fruit Processing at Karsog & Nirmand and these Training Programmes were shown to be fake and fictions on record by HIMCON......"
LinkedIn profile of Mehar Chand of Rita Innovations and their Facebook account indicates their primary business to be "Tour Operator" in Tourism.
Mar 2020: Twelve persons charge sheeted by CBI
Six former officials of the Directorate of Higher Education, five officials of KC Group of Institutions, Una and a Central Bank of India head cashier have been named. (Details)
Jan 2020: Three persons arrested
May 2019: CBI took over the case
Nov 2018: Case filed by Shimla Police
2013 to 2017: The embezzlement time span.
During this time, 924 private institutions were paid Rs 210 crores and 18,682 government institutions were paid RS 56 crores as student scholarship.
Several private institutes did not deliver any courses and claimed payments based on fake papers.