Guv’s fund transferred to 'invisible' account in AIADMK regime: PTR

CHENNAI: State Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Thursday alleged that about Rs 5 crore from the Governor's discretionary fund was diverted to another 'invisible' account during the previous AIADMK regime.

Thiaga Rajan also said that the Raj Bhavan had apportioned Rs 5 crore from its discretionary fund in 2019 and 2020 to Akshayapatra for providing breakfast to some city school students.

Intervening during the debate on the demand for grants for municipal administration department in the State Assembly, Thiaga Rajan said that the discretionary fund of the state governor was only Rs 50 lakh per annum earlier.

"In 2019, during the regime headed by incumbent Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami, who was the then chief minister, it was increased to Rs 5 crore per annum. A scrutiny of the change in the funding mechanism for Raj Bhavan revealed that of the Rs 5 crore, about Rs 4 crore was given to an NGO called Akshayapatra by Raj Bhavan in two instalments of Rs 2 crore each in 2019. The following year, another Rs 1 crore was given to the same NGO for the same reason. The NGO used the government fund and land to provide food cooked without onion and garlic, which is also not nutritious, to some city school students," PTR informed the House.

In what raised eyebrows among the treasury and Opposition benches alike, PTR said that the remaining Rs 1 crore of 2019 and Rs 4 crore the following year was taken to the account of Raj Bhavan in a manner eluding our attention.

Alleging that the allotted money was spent in violation of audit norms, the minister said that about Rs 5 crore of the discretionary fund was apportioned to a hidden account.

Questioning if it conformed to the Constitutional norms and existing rules to apportion funds to an account, which the audit and government could not ascertain, instead of directly moving it from the state exchequer, the minister said, adding that when we are taking the consent of the House to even spend Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, about Rs 5 crore was provided to an NGO from the discretionary fund by Raj Bhavan.

Remarking that it has also raised fears as to whether the funds were spent on running a political party, PTR said that it was up to Raj Bhavan to clarify on the issue.

Responding to the minister's charge, Palaniswami said, "He (Governor) seeks funds for spending from discretionary funds. He has given it to the poor (students). What is wrong in giving to the poor? If you give to the poor, it is right. Is it wrong if we do it?"

Thiaga Rajan made the revelation in response to the charge of AIADMK whip S P Velumani that the free breakfast scheme for school students was launched in association with Akshayapatra during EPS tenure and the incumbent was claiming it to be first in the country.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that the Akshayapatra project did not take off and questioned the AIADMK for claiming credit for a scheme implemented by a NGO.

Putting the issue to rest, leader of the House Duraimurugan said, "Only the governor must answer (on the issue)." Earlier, S P Velumani accused the DMK regime of renaming the previous AIADMK government's scheme and projecting them as theirs.