Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major financial irregularity has been alleged in the 2026-27 Budget of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the allocation of Rs 5 crore in public funds as grants to nearly 383 organisations.
The controversy centres on duplicate allocations, multiple payouts to the same committees and alleged favouritism in the selection process, raising serious concerns over transparency and misuse of taxpayer money. The number marks a rise from 345 beneficiaries last year, further raising concerns over transparency and financial discipline.
According to documents reviewed, several organisations appear more than once on the list, despite rules permitting only a single grant per entity annually. In some cases, the same organisation has been allocated funds multiple times under identical or slightly altered names.
Duplicate entries and multiple allocations
Notable examples include Madhur Welfare Society, which is slated to receive Rs 2 lakh and an additional Rs 50,000, and Jai Bhavani Siddheshwar Shringar Utsav Samiti, listed twice with Rs 50,000 each. Similarly, Shri Hindu Utsav Samiti has separate allocations of Rs 2 lakh for Dussehra and Rs 1 lakh for Holi celebrations. Such entries have raised concerns about whether proper verification of these organisations was conducted or if allocations were influenced by political connections.
Special favour alleged in grant distribution
A major portion of the controversy centres on Seva Bharati, whose name appears 12 times in the list under different projects and branches. These include hostels, training centres and local units across areas such as Bhojpur, Subhash Nagar and Saket. Each unit is proposed to receive grants of up to Rs 2 lakh, taking the total allocation for the organisation to approximately Rs 24 lakh. Critics argue that allocating such a large sum to multiple wings of a single organisation raises serious questions about fairness and intent.
Opposition alleges bias and lack of accountability
BMC Leader of Opposition Sabishta Zaki has alleged that over 70 organisations in the list were recommended by BMC Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi. She further claimed that many of these entities lack proper audits or even physical verification, yet continue to receive public funds.
‘Clerical mistake’
Speaking with Free Press, BMC Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi denied the allegations and said that none of the organisations will receive grants twice. “If the names of some of them are mentioned twice, that might be a clerical mistake,” Suryavanshi said.
