3 min readAhmedabadOct 24, 2012 02:44 AM IST
First published on: Oct 24, 2012 at 02:44 AM IST
An RTI application filed by a Mumbai-based NGO has revealed that Chief Minister Narendra Modi gave away Rs 5.27 crore from CM Relief Fund to Seva Bharthi,a Tamil Nadu-based NGO run by RSS,for post-tsunami rehabilitation works.
Kutch-based businessman Ramesh Joshi,who runs NGO Kutch Ladayak Manch in Mumbai,had sought the expenditure details of CM Relief Fund for the last 12 years.
According to Joshi,Modi also gave Rs 10 lakh to Nagpur police commissioner from CM Relief Fund for foiling a terror attack at RSS headquarters in 2009.
The land line number posted on Seva Bharthi’s website was found to be belonging to RSS office.
The organisation’s website claims,“Seva Bharthi is a socio-cultural organisation carrying out service activities based on the ideals propounded by great men like Swami Vivekananda,Sri Aurobindo,Mahatma Gandhi,Dr K B Hedgewar and Sri M S Golwalkar… Since its inception in 1989,it has progressively expanded its activities to cover all the 28 states and 7 union territories of India.”
The RTI replies also reveal that on December 26,2004,Modi sent Rs 5 crore to Tamil Nadu,Rs 2 crore to Andaman Nicobar,Rs 1 crore to Andhra Pradesh and Rs 1 crore each to Orissa and Pondicherry governments after these states were hit by tsunami. However,the Orisaa government returned the money for the reasons unknown.
“The saddest part of Mr Modi is the fact that on December 23,2004,three days before he sent Rs 10 crore to five states,five poor families of Bharuch district had suffered a crisis due to a fire incident. One of the victims,Maniben Prabhubhai Machhi,received only Rs 2,000 from the CM’s fund which is supposed to give relief to people belonging to the state,” Joshi said in a press release.
State government’s spokesperson Jaynarayan Vyas and Finance Minister Saurabh Patel,in a joint statement,said,“This is an attempt to defame the CM out of malice by the NGO Kutch Ladyak Manch. The assistance of Rs 5.27 crore was given for the rehabilitation of people affected in tsunami which was certified by the district revenue department officer,Nagapattinam.”
“Gujarat had taken an initiative at that time for this relief work in the country… The Tamil Nadu government had recommended Seva Bharthi to help in this project. Everything related to the fund and related works has been documented and photographed,” they said.
Additional chief secretary Varun Maira,who is holding chief secretary’s charge at present,said he had no information in this regard. He,however,added: “It is not an arbitrary thing as there are set procedures to release money from CM Relief Fund and it goes through various checks.”
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