BENGALURU: Teams from the Lokayukta, during a surprise inspection of offices under the Department of School Education and Literacy, have found prima facie evidence of misappropriation amounting to Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per government school in the supply of various electronic gadgets. There are 1,483 government schools within the jurisdiction of the Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI), Bengaluru North.

Highlighting the scale of the alleged misappropriation, the Lokayukta teams noted that the Joint Director has jurisdiction over 11 districts, encompassing 14 DDPIs and no fewer than 10,000 government schools. None of the electronic items supplied to the schools included a warranty period, despite a mandatory minimum three-year warranty stipulated by the Technical Approval Panel (TAP) formed by the state government.

According to an official statement, the Deputy Director of School Education, Bengaluru North, issued an e-tender in April 2025, calling for quotations to supply Samsung smart boards, Lenovo laptops, Zebronics LED projectors, Microtech 2 KVA UPS units with batteries, and Lenovo all-in-one PCs. This was approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the Zilla Panchayat, Bengaluru Urban District.

Lokayukta officials stated that their inspection found that the purchased electronic equipment did not comply with TAP-approved specifications. “We examined the prices of the supplied items and obtained current market values. We found an excess payment of Rs 10,000 per computer, Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per UPS, and Rs 15,000 per LED smart TV,” the Lokayukta’s statement said.

The statement further added that the items supplied were of poor quality, with minimal data storage capacity, indicating that the procurement was carried out “with the sole intention of misappropriating public funds.” The installation reports provided by the supplier did not mention the specifications of the equipment, and Block Education Officers (BEOs) failed to obtain written acknowledgements from school headteachers.

The DDPI and other responsible officers did not visit any installation site to verify whether the supplied materials met TAP specifications. Additionally, officials noted clear violations of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Rules during the purchase process.

The Lokayukta also found that the Joint Director had not signed the attendance register for 15 days, from 18 November 2025 to the date of inspection. Despite overseeing 11 districts, 14 DDPIs and 57 BEOs, he had not visited any BEO or DDPI office—including the DDPI North Division office located directly opposite his own. The inspection also uncovered a complete lack of toilet facilities in both offices, with officials observing that DDPI staff were forced to relieve themselves in an open area within the compound.

Separately, in the Bengaluru South BEO limits, the Lokayukta team reported that a bar and restaurant was operating within 50 metres of a Government First Grade College and a Higher Primary School.