Vigilance scrutiny on Kerala Khadi Board purchases for mask production

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has received complaints alleging foul play in the distribution of khadi masks along with the essential ration kits in the state. Manorama had reported that "fake" khadi masks were brought from other states to distribute in Kerala.

One of the complaints received by the corruption watchdog states that the Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board sold the masks to the Kerala Civil Supplies Corporation for Rs 12 apiece after procuring them at a lower price.

INTUC leader Kadakampalli Manoj said the deal smacked of corruption.

Payyannur municipal councillor A Roopesh wrote to the Vigilance deputy superintendent at Kannur that it was improper to buy khadi cloth from Tamil Nadu at a time when Kerala was struggling with its own stock.

Khadi Board explanation

The Khadi Board said that it was faced with a total order of Rs 1.72 crore and production of masks worth Rs 1.17 crore was done in Kerala itself. The Board said it gave Kudumbasree self-help group members Rs 3 for stitching a mask and 50 paise for packing it. It supplied the cloth through various project offices of the board.

Cloth was also procured from firms in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Khadi Board vice chairperson Shobhana George said. She added that khadi cloth was bought from other states in the past too.

The Board has received Rs 7 crore from the State Civil Supplies Corporation as the price of the masks. She claimed that the three-fold masks did not compromise on quality.

Unpaid bills

Meanwhile, the Khadi Board also faced allegations that it was yet to pay for the masks it ordered from within the state. The Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Federation wrote in a letter that it was yet to be paid for 10 lakh masks. The federation has written to the Board that it was yet to receive the advance amount or the remuneration despite fulfilling the orders and submitting the final bill to the project offices concerned.

The Khadi Board has paid Rs 1 crore for a firm in Tirupur for the 12 lakh masks it bought and Rs 25 crore from five firms in West Bengal for 30 lakh masks.

The Kerala Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi said that it had received orders for masks from a Tamil Nadu firm named All-India Khadi Vastralaya. The manager said that the deal did not go through as the firm was not recognised by the Khadi Commission.

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