Patna, April 4 : A citizen of Nepal is a beneficiary of funds to construct a house under Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) in a village in Bihar's East Champaran district, a local activist said Thursday. officials said it seemed to be a case of fraud and will be probed.

Rajpati Devi, a resident of Nayka Tola in Nepal's Bara district, is a proud beneficiary of allotment of money under IAY, said Lakhraj Manjhi, who complained to the district magistrate that Rajpati was not Indian.

"She(Rajpati) is not an Indian citizen but a beneficiary of IAY thanks to collusion with local mukhia (village headman) and block officials as well as bank officials," Manjhi told IANS over phone.

He said Rajpati Devi has already received the first installment of Rs.30,000 for an IAY unit. "A local branch of a nationalized bank has also opened an account in her name on the basis of
an identity card issued by the mukhiya after the local panchayat member introduced her," he said.

According to him, Rajpati is not the only Nepali citizen who got funds under IAY for construction of houses. "There are many such people. It is for the official concerned to probe and take action against them," he said.

District official Shashibhusan Prasad said that it was a case of fraud and violation of rules. "Only an inquiry into the complaint will prove it." Kumar Vinod, another official, said th

(IANS)