Published 18:16 IST, October 8th 2020
Life Mission probe: CBI alleges fraud in foreign funding; M Sivasankar to be questioned
The CBI informed the Kerala High Court that a fraud was committed in the Kerala government's Life Mission project under the guise of foreign contributions.
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In a big revelation on Thursday, CBI informed the Kerala High Court that a fraud was committed in the Kerala government's Life Mission project under the guise of foreign contributions. It is the state government's flagship housing scheme for all the landless and homeless in the state. The court was hearing a petition filed by the Kerala government seeking the quashing of the CBI's FIR which has alleged FCRA violation in Life Mission.
As per the agency, suspended bureaucrat and former Principal Secretary to CM M Sivasankar "hijacked" the MoU between Life Mission and Red Crescent. The CBI is likely to question him very soon. Meanwhile, it also reportedly told the court that an accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case took a 30% commission in the project. Sources added that the CBI may charge Life Mission CEO UV Jose as an accused in the case. A week earlier, the Kerala HC had denied interim relief to the state government, citing that the investigation cannot be ordered to stop at this stage.
Kochi: CBI states in Kerala High Court that M Sivasankar, former principal secretary of Kerala CMO, hijacked MoU between Life Mission & Red Crescent. CBI also said that this is fraud under the guise of foreign contributions.
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2020
Cloud over Life Mission project
The target of the mission is to provide safe housing to nearly 4.30 lakh homeless people in Kerala within a span of 5 years. This entails modern housing complexes with the provision of livelihoods and social services such as primary health care, geriatric support, skill development and financial inclusion. The Kerala government decided to give priority to the coastal population, plantation workers and those who stay in temporary shelters on government land.
Recently, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala alleged that gold smuggling scam accused Swapna Suresh admitted before an NIA court that she received Rs.1 crore as commission from the project. He also lambasted Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan for not making public a copy of the MoU between the state government and the UAE-based Red Crescent. Red Crescent had agreed to provide Rs.20 crore towards the Life Mission project. According to Chennithala, the commission involved in the case amounts to approximately Rs.9 crore. Disapproving of the vigilance probe ordered by the state government, Kerala BJP president K Surendran opined that this was an attempt to sabotage the Centre's probe and destroy the Life Mission documents.
(Image credits: PTI)
18:16 IST, October 8th 2020