GUWAHATI: Assam NRC state coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma filed an FIR against former NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela after suspecting his alleged involvement in corruption and money laundering during the updation of the NRC.
This is the second FIR that Sarma filed against Hajela, who is an IAS officer currently posted in his home state of Madhya Pradesh.
Sarma alleged that "huge corruption and money laundering" was suspected to have occurred during Hajela's tenure as the NRC boss.
"...M/s WIPRO, the System Integrator (SI), was given the task of supplying Data Entry Operators (DEOs)...the SI is not permitted to subcontract any activities related to System Design & Development, deployment and enhancement of NRC Software Solution, Data Centre Operation and Network Integration with Data Centre. In the event of SI requires services of the sub-contractor, the SI shall obtain prior approval and clearance of the Department for engaging sub-contractors. But M/s WIPRO, the SI engaged one sub-contractor, M/S Integrated System and Services for providing DEOs without any prior approval from the authority," Sarma wrote in his complaint.
He said it was found that Hajela was aware of the fact that a sub-contractor was being used although he did not officially approve of the proposal of SI for engaging M/S Integrated System and Services.
The SI was paid Rs 14,500 to Rs 17,500 per month per DEO by the NRC authority, but the DEOs got only Rs 5,500 to Rs 9,100 per month from 2015 to 2019. Even the DEOs were denied the minimum wage as per the Minimum Wages Act, Sarma said.
According to him, the audit assessed that an undue benefit of Rs 155.83 crore was allowed to SI/Labour contractor after allowing a 10 per cent reasonable profit margin to the contractor.
“Undue benefit’ to the tune of Rs. 155.83 crore is a huge amount and it is reasonable to suspect that kickbacks and money laundering must have occurred in the process.