New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The central government has begun a probe into the MoU signed with the UAE-based Red Crescent Authority for the Life Mission housing project in Kerala. The Ministry of External Affairs has sought an explanation from the Kerala Government.
The Centre had not given permission when the UAE directly announced aid for Kerala after the massive floods of 2018. The Centre is probing how the state government signed a deal with the UAE organisation when the Union government has not changed its policy on receiving foreign aid.
A state government needs to get prior permission from the Centre before accepting aid from any foreign country. The aid cannot be accepted without getting approval from the Home Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs. The Centre's policy is not to accept foreign aid for disaster management operations. The previous governments before the Narendra Modi regime too followed this policy.
The National Disaster Management Authority has to be informed prior to receiving disaster relief aid from abroad for housing projects. If foreign aid is received for any project implemented by a State, then it finds a mention in the Union Budget.
The Kerala government signed the MoU with the Red Crescent at the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram on July 11, 2019, in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Emirates Red Crescent deputy secretary general Fahad Abdul Rahman bin Sulthan and Life Mission CEO U V Jose had signed the MoU.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has already begun an investigation into the 30kg gold seized from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram last month.
The Life Mission's housing project at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur also came under the scanner after Rs 1 crore was seized from the bank account of one of the accused, Swapna Suresh. And she claimed that she received the money as commission for the Life Mission project.
The Revenue Intelligence and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are investigating the details of the foreign aid.
Vigilance probe?
The CPM state secretariat has recommended to the Kerala government to check the possibilities of holding a Vigilance probe into the Life Mission deal. Kerala CM Pinarayi said that steps would be taken after checking the legal aspects.
Of the Rs 20 crore given by the Red Crescent for the Life Mission's Wadakkanchery project, those linked to the UAE Consulate had pocketed a commission of Rs 4.25 crore, the meet concluded. And that a part of this was found in the locker of Swapna Suresh.
The meet further pointed out that Unitac, the private company that offered the bribe, alone should not be held responsible. Those who received the bribe should also be taken to task. It was decided that the government should check whether the state Vigilance can carry out a probe linked to the Consulate and take an appropriate action.
After the secretariat meet, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the NIA, Enforcement Directorate, and Customs had not passed on any information to the government regarding the probe into the Life Mission deal.
"The party stance is that if the state government can order a probe, then the deal should be scrutinised. If a Vigilance probe is possible, then that option will also be checked into," he added.
"If the Red Crescent and the builder had got into some deal, why should the LDF government be scared? Kodiyeri asked.
"There is no allegation that any CPM worker or those with the Life Mission had taken bribe. Neither the party nor the government need to justify the actions of Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to the CM. We will expose the opposition's attempts to destabilise the government and tarnish the image of the CM," Kodiyeri added.
