The previous BJP government had given Rs 16 crore to the Samta Pratishthan to organise various programmes to celebrate Ambedkar's birth anniversary. The Maharashtra government on Wednesday told the state Assembly that a high-level probe will be conducted into “corruption” in various programmes organised to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar between 2017 to 2019 by the previous BJP regime.
Social Justice Minister Dhananjay Munde told the Assembly that large scale irregularities in the programmes organised by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samta Pratishthan, which comes under the state government’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), have been revealed in an audit report.
The previous BJP government had given Rs 16 crore to the Samta Pratishthan to organise various programmes to celebrate Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.
“Some officials deliberately did not disclose the information from the audit report to the CAG. So, an inquiry committee has been set up under the chairmanship of Shyam Tagde, Principal Secretary (Social Justice), to probe the financial irregularities of Samata Pratishthan,” said Munde in response to a discussion on the starred question by Shiv Sena legislator Sunil Prabhu.
Munde added that all those responsible for the irregularities are being suspended. “There were complaints of large scale financial irregularities. The audit report has revealed many irregularities, including expenditure being carried without receipts and permission of the board of directors,” he added.
The minister further said that the involvement of senior officials will be probed and action taken against them as well. “A link between officials and politicians has also been revealed during the investigation,” he added.