KOZHIKODE: Skeletons continue to tumble out of the Kerala orphanages. After the alleged child trafficking report, now orphanages are found fraudulently obtaining grant-in-aid from the state government by hiding records of financial assistance from foreign sources. The Social Justice Department (SJD) has now asked the Secretary, Orphanage Control Board (OCB), to submit a detailed report on this.
The management of the Mukkam and Manassery Muslim Orphanage (MMO) in Kozhikode, which is under a cloud of suspicion following the alleged child trafficking attempt, claimed a grant-in-aid of `28,55,470 in 2012-13 from the state government by giving a false certificate that the “institution had not received any financial assistance from foreign sources”.
The Sunday Standard has exclusive documents to prove that the orphanage submitted a FC-6 return to the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) Wing of Foreigners Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs that it had received a sum of `8,00,783 for the “welfare of the orphans” from a donor named Red Crescent, which is based in UAE, in the 2012-13 fiscal.
In the same fiscal, the much famed Markaz (Markazu Saquafathi Sunniyya) of Kanthapuram A P Abubacker Musaliyar in Karanthur, a scholar and Muslim leader of Kozhikode, received a sum of `2.4 crore as foreign contributions. However, the management also claimed a grant-in-aid of `13,90,251 from the state government for its orphanages concealing the foreign aid.
The law of the land says “institutions, which are in receipt of financial assistance from sources abroad shall furnish along with the application for grant-in-aid, a certificate showing the details of such assistance received or receivable and its utilisation. If, no such assistance has been received or receivable, a certificate to that effect shall be furnished.”
This is just a tip of the iceberg as majority of the 65 orphanages in Kozhikode, including the Al-Islah Orphanage, Kodiyathur of the Islahiya Association and the MES (Muslim Educational Society) Orphanage, Feroke, allegedly indulge in such malpractices. According to sources, every year, these 65 orphanages are given more than `2 crore by the state government as grant-in-aid.
Investigations have revealed that that the malpractice is not confined to Kozhikode district alone.
As per the FC-6 return statement given to the FCRA, the Wayanad Muslim Orphanage, Muttil, received a whopping `4,25,12,305.75 in 2012-13 fiscal from various donors in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It had also received foreign aid to the tune of `3,74,95,650.39 and `4,06,79,220.34 during 2010- 11 and 2011-12 fiscals. However, while submitting the application for the government grant-in-aid, the WMO management maintained that it had not received any foreign aid.
Similarly, the Ma’dinussaqa-fathil Islamiyya, Swalath Nagar, Melimuri, in Malappuram received foreign aid worth `1,15,48,317.19 in 2012-13 from various donors in Australia, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the UAE. While, Markazu Tharbiyyathi Islamiya, Karthala, Kuttipuram, got donations worth `90,67,916.38 from 11 donors belonging to Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Sources said both organisations had not furnished the exact details of the receipt of foreign aid before the Social Justice Department.