KOZHIKODE ( KERALA ): The management of the Mukkam and Manassery Muslim orphanages, which is under a cloud following allegations of child trafficking, fraudulently obtained grant-in-aid in 2012-13 from the state government by claiming that it was not in receipt of any foreign contributions.
Express has exclusive documents to prove that the orphanage management submitted a FC-6 return to the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) Wing of Foreigners Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs stating 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.
While it claimed a grant-in-aid of `28,55,470 from the state government by giving a false certificate that the “institution had not received any financial assistance from foreign sources”. In the same fiscal, the Markaz (Markazu Saquafathi Sunniyya) of Kanthapuram A P Abubacker Musaliyar received a sum of `2.4 crore as foreign contribution. However, the management also claimed a grant-in-aid of `13,90,251 from the state government for its orphanages concealing the foreign aid.
This is just a tip of the ice-berg 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.
While Islahiya Association has Jamaat-e-Islami activist O Abdul Rahman as the president, the MES Orphanage functions under the society headed by Dr P A Fazal Gafoor. According to sources, every year, these 65 orphanages are given more than `2 crore by the state government as grant-in-aid. As per the FC-6 return statement, in 2011-12, the MMO management received an amount of `40,00,000 from the Oman-based Galfar Group. This was also concealed from the Social Justice Department while applying for grant-in-aid. In 2012-13 period, Markaz received a sum of `2.4 crore as foreign contributions from countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and UAE.
The data given to FCRA says Markaz spent a sum of `34,65,179 for the purpose of welfare of the orphans. In 2011-12, Markaz received `13 crore as foreign aid from various countries including the United Kingom. For the Al Islah Orphanage, run by the Islahiya Association, the foreign fund received in 2012-13 was `2.3 crore. The institution also earned a government grant-in-aid worth `6.4 lakh. The foreign aid was received from Kuwait and Qatar. The management, in the report given to FCRA, maintained that it used a sum of `1,50, 54,043 for the welfare of the orphans.
Data shows that the Muslim Education Society, Kozhikode, received foreign contributions worth `91,89,092 in 2012-13 fiscal from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Of this, it mentioned that a sum of `87,29,262 was used for the purpose of construction and management of the orphanage. The MES Orphanage, Feroke claimed a grant-in-aid of 1,66,877 allegedly concealing the foreign aid. As per the Kerala Grant-in-aid Rules for the payment of Boarding Grants to Orphanages and Boarding Homes for Destitute Children, “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.”