Valmiki corporation scam: ₹13 crore yet to be recovered

The State government is yet to recover about ₹13 crore that had been swindled from Sri Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation where irregularities close to ₹89.63 crore had been reported. The irregularities caused a political storm in the State with the BJP and thr JD(S) cornering the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for several months, seeking his resignation.

While the irregularities involved ₹89.63 crore meant for Scheduled Tribes welfare that had been transferred to several companies and individuals allegedly using fake signatures, ₹5 crore has been returned while ₹71.54 crore has been recovered, a note from the Chief Minister’s Office said. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has assured that the remaining amount would be recovered, the statement said.

Incidentally, besides SIT, the Enforcement Directorate is also involved in the investigation of the misuse of funds in which former Minister B. Nagendra has been accused of diverting money from the corporation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday reviewed the corporation’s affairs during which the details were provided. He said that appeals had been made to the government not to reduce funding to the corporation in the light of financial irregularities that has been reported.

Mr. Siddaramaiah also asked the Social Welfare Department to address the confusion prevailing over caste certificate. “It was brought to our notice that some have been taking caste certificate illegally,” he told presspersons here, adding that instructions had been issued to solve the issue.

Published - October 15, 2024 07:47 pm IST