CVC forwards complaint against IAS officers Jayathilak, Gopalakrishnan to Kerala CS on alleged fund fraud

The Central Vigilance Commission has forwarded a complaint against Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) A Jayathilak and K Gopalakrishnan, Managing Director, Vyttila mobility hub, to the Chief Secretary of Kerala. The complaint filed by J Bency, a resident of Eravipuram in Kollam, alleges misappropriation of funds by Jayathilak and Gopalakrishnan under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojna (PM-AJAY) scheme.

PM-AJAY aims at reducing poverty of the SC communities and improving socio-economic developmental indicators. Gopalakrishnan had earlier served as the Director of the Scheduled Caste Development Department. The Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday appointed Jayathilak as the next Chief Secretary of Kerala.

CVC Director Swati Ratna forwarded the complaint to the Chief Secretary of Kerala on April 15, a week before the Cabinet decided to appoint Jayathilak as Kerala's 50th Chief Secretary. In the letter to the Kerala CS, Swati Ratna said that the complaints about the state government come outside the jurisdiction of the Commission, and it was forwarded for necessary action.

The complaint filed by Bency alleges that PM-AJAY funds were being diverted into ghost projects, fraudulent contracts and benami transactions. The letter cites an instance where the contract for training SC youth in aviation-related jobs under the central scheme was allegedly awarded in violation of norms. "The selected company lacked IATA accreditation and aviation training expertise. Documents were fabricated to justify the selection, and no competitive bidding was conducted," the letter alleged. The complaint also quotes audit findings indicating financial irregularities in the allocation and disbursement of PM-AJAY funds.

Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan stated that she would review and respond.