BENGALURU: Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi has begun inquiry into the alleged large-scale misappropriation of funds and violation of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act at the Administrative Training Institute (ATI) in Mysuru in 2008-2014, during the tenure of Amita Prasad as Director-General.
In response to a notice on Wednesday, IAS officer Rashmi V, who exposed the corruption, appeared before Justice Adi on Thursday. During the inquiry that lasted more than two hours, Rashmi produced several documents relating to the alleged fraud.
In an order, Justice Adi said, “This complaint calls for a detailed probe and requires verification of original documents. Most of the transactions appear to be done without following the Transparency Act. I will visit Mysuru to hold an inquiry on May 12. Hence, I issue notice to the Deputy Director of ATI to be present in Mysuru on May 12.”
Rashmi was transferred out of ATI on Wednesday as the Secretary of Food Processing and Harvest Technology.
According to Lokayukta sources, a notice was issued to Rashmi following a complaint filed by MLC G Madhusudhan against the government for sitting on the recommendation for a deep probe by Additional Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar. No internal audit was done after the issue surfaced but irregularities were found in the test audit conducted by the Comptroller and Auditor General for the year 2013-14, after Rashmi went public with the fraud.
Madhusudhan had appealed to the Upa Lokayukta to direct the government to provide security to Rashmi and her family, who have faced several threats over this. During 2008-’14, funds were allegedly amassed illegally at ATI by overestimation of civil works, development of unnecessary infrastructure and irregularities in payment to trainers.
Lokayukta sources said there is concern that, with Rashmi’s transfer, evidence she had collected, including 12,000 files kept in safe custody, may be destroyed.
No Infra, No Staff
Incidentally, Rashmi was transferred a few hours after Justice Adi issued notice to her. What is strange is that she was posted as Secretary of Food Processing and Harvest Technology, in a department that became defunct a decade ago.
It has no staff or infrastructure, and even Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) personnel don’t know where it is situated.
Asked the location of the department’s office, Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee told Express that the office was in the MS Building. The post of Secretary of Food Processing is very important, he added.
Highlights of Madhusudhan’s plaint
■ Government did not order a CBI/Lokayukta inquiry but ordered inquiry by a senior bureaucrat
■ Attempts made to protect Amita Prasad
■ Amita held posts as Principal Secretary, RDPR and UDD, both direct ‘conflict of interest’ posts. As DG of ATI, she sent proposals to both departments and got them sanctioned as secretary
■ As Rashmi got tough after noticing irregularities, the government created a situation of crisis and did not extend her support. She was assaulted at the behest of former DG and her husband, who is close to the CM
■ Major funds misused
■ Amita submitted false utilisation certificates for various works to amass money