Another Maha minister faces irregularities charge in contract

June 30, 2015

Mumbai, Jun 30: In fresh trouble for the BJP-led Government in Maharashtra, Education Minister Vinod Tawde is facing allegations of irregularities in connection with awarding of a Rs 191 crore contract without inviting tenders, a charge denied by him.

irregularities
The fresh allegation against a Maharashtra minister comes close on the heels of a similar charge against Women and Child Welfare Minister Pankaja Munde.

The Finance Department has sought a probe into the irregularties pertaining to a contract awarded by the School Education Department for buying fire extinguishers without e-tendering for Zilla Parishad schools across the state.

The contract, cleared by Tawde, has been put on hold after the Finance Department objected to it.

Tawde, a high profile BJP member in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, refuted the allegation as did Munde last week about charges hurled at her by the Opposition Congress.

"Not a single rupee has been paid to contractors. We stopped the order immediately after the Finance Department raised objections," Tawde told reporters today.

On February 11, the department issued a government resolution authorising the office of the Education Director (Primary) to enter into a rate contract for supply of 62,105 fire extinguishers for Zilla Parishad schools across the state.

Each fire extinguisher was to be procured at a price of Rs 8,321 and each school was to be provided three pieces.

Meanwhile, top BJP ministers in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government in Maharashtra today rushed to defend Tawde, who maintained that there was no wrongdoing on his part in the alleged Rs 191 crore scam.

At a hurriedly convened press conference here this afternoon, Tawde was flanked by Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Co-operatives minister Chandrakant Patil.

"The Opposition is making a mountain out of mole hill," Mungantiwar said.

Tawde told reporters that he was complying with a Supreme Court order on providing fire-fighting equipment for schools.

"Our Education department budget for the purpose is Rs 18 crore but there are allegations of a Rs 191 crore scam," Tawde said.

"I (the department) had Rs 18 crore. I could have easily purchased equipment worth that amount. If I were to comply with the SC order, I would have needed Rs 191 crore. I asked Finance Department what should I do?

"There was already a provision of Rs 18 crore made by earlier Congress government for purchase of fire-fighting equipment in schools," Tawde said.

"Had we wanted, we could have ordered equipment based on that provision.

However, we approached the finance department, asking about providing the equipment to all the schools. That amount came to Rs 191 crore. That is what is being referred as the 'Rs 191 crore scam' despite the fact that not a single rupee has been given to anyone," Tawde said.

About Rs 6-crore worth equipment was delivered, however, no money has been paid to contractors, Tawde said.

Referring to the controversy in media, Patil said, "If there are such baseless allegations, we won't do such essential things (procure equipment) even if there is contempt of court".

"Then Congress government had decided to order fire extinguishers through rate contract after over 100 students were killed in a Chennai school fire and the Supreme Court had stipulated that firefighting equipment should be installed in schools," he said.

Mungantiwar said the media reports of the scam are baseless and without any documentary proof.

"I must thank the Education minister that he closed the file immediately. Not a single rupee was given," he said.

Such allegations cannot be made without political conspiracy. There is a dirty political conspiracy in this matter, he alleged.

"How can there be a scam when no purchase has been made," he added.

Patil said Mungantiwar will be the Maharashtra ministry spokesperson and will interact with media.

Earlier, Munde, daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde, had allegedly cleared contracts for a host of items including snacks worth a whopping Rs 206 crore under Integrated Child Development Scheme, without inviting tenders.

The contract was cleared on a single day through 24 government resolutions, allegedly flouting the e-tender norm put in place by the Fadnavis Government itself.

Dubbing it as a 'mega scam', Congress has approached the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) seeking a thorough probe into it.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, however, stood by Munde and dared the opposition to come out with tangible proof to substantiate the charge instead of creating a smokescreen.

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News Network
April 26,2024

Palakkad: Three voters from Palakkad, Malappuram and Alappuzha, and a polling agent in Kozhikode died in seperate incidents in Kerala on Friday.

A man collapsed and died after casting his vote at Vani Vilasini in Chunangad, Ottapalam here on Friday. The deceased Chandran (68) hailed from Modernkattil  in Chunangad. Though rushed to the Ottapalam taluk hopsital, he was declared dead on arrival. Palakkad had recorded a high temperature of 40 degree Celsius on Thursday.

A Madrassa teacher, who came home after voting, collapsed and died. The deceased Alikkannakkal Tharakkal Siddhique (63) was the first voter at the polling station in Vallikkanjiram School at Niramaruthur Grama Panchayat in Tirur.

Kakkazham Veiliparambu Somarajan (82), who voted and returned home from the Kakkazham SN VT High School in Alappuzha also collapsed and died. He was a voter from booth 138.

In another instance, a polling agent died after collapsing at a booth in Kuttichira, Kozhikode on Friday. Maliyekkal Anees (66), a retired KSEB engineer from Haluwa Bazaar, was LDF's polling agent at the 16th booth in Kuttichira Government Vocational Higher Secondary School. He collapsed while doing his duty in the polling booth by 8.30 am. Though rushed to the Government General Hospital, he died by 9.15am. He is survived by wife Adakkani Veettil Zereena, childrens  Fayis Ahammed, Fadhil Ahammed, Akhil Ahammed and Bilal Ahammed.

A man also died in bike accident en route to polling booth in Malappuram on Friday. The deceased is Saidu Haji (75) of Neduvan. The bike rammed a lorry near BM School in Parappanangadi.

Polling began at 7am in all 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala on Friday. 

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News Network
May 6,2024

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The stage is all set for the third phase of voting for the Lok Sabha election, which will take place on Tuesday, May 7. The polling will take place across 94 Lok Sabha constituencies covering ten states and two union territories.

Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seats were also to vote in the third phase of polling. However, due to several connectivity issues, the Election Commission of India rescheduled it to May 25.

The voting in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election will begin at 7 am on Tuesday and conclude at 5 pm. The results will be declared on June 4.

Lok Sabha election Phase 3: List of states and constituencies:

Karnataka Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere, Shimoga 
Assam Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Gauhati
Chhattisgarh Sarguja, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa, Korba, Bilaspur, Durg, Raipur
Bihar Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura, Khagaria
West Bengal  Maldaha Uttar, Maldaha Dakshin, Jangipur, Murshidabad
Goa North Goa, South Goa
Gujarat  Kachchh, Banaskantha, Patan, Mahesana, Sabarkantha, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad East, Ahmedabad West, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Anand, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara, Chhota Udaipur, Bharuch, Bardoli, Surat, Navsari, Valsad    
Uttar Pradesh Sambhal, Hathras, Agra (SC), Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Budaun, Aonla, Bareilly
Madhya Pradesh Bhind, Bhopal, Guna, Gwalior, Morena, Rajgarh, Sagar, Vidisha, Betul
Maharashtra  Baramati, Raigad, Osmanabad, Latur (SC), Solapur (SC), Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Hatkanangle
Dadra and Nagar Haveli Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Daman and Diu Daman and Diu

Over 1,300 candidates, including 120 women, are in the fray in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election. Some of the key candidates include bigwigs such as union ministers Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala, Pralhad Joshi, and SP Singh Baghel. Former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Digvijaya Singh are also contesting the election in Madhya Pradesh. At the same time, the fate of former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai will also be decided in the third phase. Meanwhile, several members of Mulayam Singh Yadav's family are also contesting in this phase in Uttar Pradesh.

List of key candidates and their constituencies

Amit Shah (BJP) - Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat

Digvijaya Singh (Congress) - Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh

Shivraj Singh Chouhan (BJP) - Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh

Dimple Yadav (SP) - Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh

Supriya Sule (NCP) - Baramati, Maharashtra

Purshottam Rupala (BJP) - Rajkot, Gujarat

Jyotiraditya Scindia (BJP) - Guna, Madhya Pradesh

Pralhad Joshi (BJP) - Dharwad, Karnataka

KS Eshwarappa (BJP) - Shimoga, Karnataka

Praniti Shinde (Congress) - Solapur, Maharashtra

Hasmukbhai Patel (BJP) - Ahmedabad East, Gujarat

Pallavi Dempo (BJP) - South Goa, Goa

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) - Berhampore, West Bengal

The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases - with the first phases concluded on April 19 and April 26. The third phase will be held on May 7; the fourth phase will be held on May 13; the fifth phase will be on May 20; the sixth phase will be on May 25; and the seventh phase on June 1.

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News Network
April 25,2024

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Electronics Corporation of India Ltd and Bharat Electronics Ltd have refused to disclose the names and contact details of the manufacturers and suppliers of various components of EVMs and VVPATs under the RTI Act citing "commercial confidence", according to RTI responses from the PSUs to an activist.

Activist Venkatesh Nayak had filed two identical Right To Information applications with the ECIL and BEL, seeking the details of the manufacturers and suppliers of various components used in the assembling of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPATs).

The VVPAT is an independent vote verification system which enables electors to see whether their votes have been cast correctly.

The ECIL and the BEL, public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Defence, manufacture EVMs and VVPATs for the Election Commission.

Nayak also sought a copy of the purchase orders for the components from both PSUs.

"Information sought is in commercial confidence. Hence details cannot be provided under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act," BEL said in its response.

A similar response was sent by ECIL which said the details requested are related to a product which is being manufactured by ECIL, and third party in nature.

"Disclosing of details will affect the Competitive position of ECIL. Hence, Exemption is claimed under section 8(1) (d) of RTI ACT, 2005," it said.

In response to the purchase order copies, ECIL's central public information officer said the information is "voluminous" which would disproportionately divert the resources of the Public Authority.

"Further, the information will give away the design details of EVM components. The same may pose a danger to the machines produced. Hence, the exemption is claimed U/s 7(9) and under section 8(1)(d) of RTI Act, 2005," ECIL said.

Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act exempts from disclosure the information, including commercial confidence, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of a third party, unless the competent authority is satisfied that larger public interest warrants the disclosure of such information.

Section 7(9) of the Act says the information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.

"I don't know whose interests they are trying to protect against the right to know of close to a billion-strong electorate. ECIL said that disclosure of the purchase orders will reveal the design details of the components and this may pose a danger to the machines produced. ECIL did not upload even a signed copy of its reply on the RTI Online Portal," Nayak said.

He said it is reasonable to infer that the two companies are not manufacturing every single item of the EVM-VVPAT combo or else the two companies would have replied that they are manufacturing all these components internally without any outsourcing being involved.

"But the electorate is expected to take everything about the voting machines based on what the ECI is claiming in its manuals and FAQs," Nayak said.

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