THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the row over alleged diversion of Ockhi relief funds for a controversial chopper ride undertaken by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently, skeletons from an earlier Cabinet decision to grant Rs 25 lakh as financial assistance to late NCP leader Uzhavoor Vijayan’s family from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) are all set to tumble out.
Apparently, on the sole initiative of Pinarayi Vijayan, a Cabinet meeting in July last year, a few days after the demise of the NCP leader, had decided to provide financial help even as there was no provision for that under existing rules to release funds from the CMDRF.
Going by three GOs sourced by Express, which are self-explanatory, the Chief Minister had sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from the CMDRF on the basis of a Cabinet decision and marking it as ‘confidential’ and then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto had issued orders to that effect on July 27, 2017. Subsequently, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P H Kurien released the full amount from CMDRF vide GO dated August 1, 2017, with a direction the Meenachil tahsildar should effect the payment to Vijayan’s family and report the same within a week.
The CMDRF, according to rules and guidelines, should be utilised only for extending relief to the families of victims of accidents and natural calamities for treatment of certain serious diseases as also for providing free rations to workers during labour issues in establishments where they are attached to. According to the GO, it is mandatory those falling below poverty the line alone are entitled to financial assistance from the CMDRF.
It is also stipulated the applicant’s/recipient’s annual income should be below Rs 1 lakh. In the case of Vijayan’s family, without complying with any of these parameters, the Cabinet decision was to give Rs 5 lakh towards expenses incurred for his treatment and Rs 10 lakh each for the education of his children from the CMDRF. Interestingly, the amount was released without even a formal application which is a must for availing financial assistance from CMDRF.
The gross misuse of CMDRF funds is now laid before Governor P Sathasivam by political activist K S Padmakumar, member of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the state unit of Aam Admi Party (AAP). Padmakumar took up the matter at the highest level at a time when the state is going through a rough patch financially and the government is being pilloried for squandering public money.
It is said even Rs 5 lakh provided for the treatment of the late Vijayan can be justified under any pretext only on the basis of supporting hospital bills. Similarly, granting Rs 20 lakh for meeting the education expenses of the late leader’s children is a clear violation of laid down rules. "The act of the government was nothing but misuse of power and violation of rules. Action may be initiated against those behind the Cabinet decision and corrective action may also be taken to recover the amount from those concerned,’’ the Governor was urged.
A sticky decision
The LDF leadership in Kerala had claimed the front has half crore cadre strength, given the membership of various constituent parties. It is said even if one rupee each was collected from the LDF cadre, the NCP leader’s family could have been given a contribution double the amount of what was released from the CMDRF. The government didn’t resort to a similar act and release funds from the CMDRF or add strain to the state exchequer in some other manner to help the still bedridden Pushpan, billed as the ‘living martyr’ of the 1994 Koothuparamba firing.
He was given Rs 25 lakh as financial assistance purely from a collection drive led by the DYFI from the public. It was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself who had handed over the contribution to the comrade at a function recently. None would criticise any attempt to help the family of Uzhavoor Vijayan if it was not from the CMDRF and had there been a precedent. The NCP itself has not less than 20,000 members in the state who can be asked to rise to the occasion and chip in to help Vijayan’s family.
The NCP state leadership could have taken up the matter with cash-rich party national president Sharad Pawar too and the results would have been more promising. But then,mandarins of the beleaguered ally in the LDF are seemingly cracking their nerves how to regain a berth in the ministry, while both of its only MLAs - Thomas Chandy and A K Saseendran - were caught on a wrong wicket and exited from the cabinet for different reasons after their short stints in the one-and-a-half-year-old-plus LDF Government.
The Chief Minister had sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from the CMDRF on the basis of a Cabinet decision and marking it as ‘confidential.’
The then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto issued orders to that effect on July 27, 2017.
Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P H Kurien released the full amount of B25 lakh from CMDRF vide GO dated August 1, 2017.