Dechen Dolkar

The former gaydrung of the Gomdar gewog in Samdrupjongkhar misused the rural household insurance premiums amounting to Nu 31,534.

According to the annual audit report 2023, the issue surfaced during the processing of 19 household insurance claims after a windstorm struck the gewog and wreaked havoc on March 31, 2019.

The audit observed that the former Gaydrung did not deposit the premiums collected from three households in the gewog.

Officials from the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited (RICBL), Samdrupjongkhar along with the official with representatives from the gewog administration, conducted a detailed field assessment at the affected site in April 2020.

It was discovered that the collected premiums were not remitted to RICBL.

The matter came to the notice of the gewog administration about one year and six months ago and the claimants neither received rural house insurance claims nor administrative action taken against the former gaydrung.

The audit advised the gewog to recover the amount besides initiating legal action against the gaydrung for depriving the house owners of insurance benefits.

The audit further pointed out that the gewog administration should recover the amount from the former gaydrung and settle the dues against the three claimants.

The audit also recommended that the gewog administration take legal action against the former gaydrung for misusing the money and depriving those insurers of the insurance benefit.