Karnataka   

Vikasa sankalpa ‘funded’ by Centre

DAVANGERE: Shamanur Shivashankarappa, Davangere MLA, has alleged that the district administration used the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) for the Vikasa Sankalpa Utsav held here on June 16.

He condemned the BJP Government for making use of development funds for organising its “party gala”.

(The BRGF is provided by the Union Government and is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. The fund provides financial resources for supplementing and converging existing developmental inflows into 250 identified districts, states the website of the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj.)

In a press statement released here on Thursday, Mr. Shivashankarappa said that money from the BRGF was released to the Davangere City Corporation to take up development works.He questioned the appropriateness of using the funds for the Vikasa Sankalpa celebrations.

Attaching a photocopy of the order by Deputy Commissioner K. Amaranarayan instructing the corporation to provide Rs. 20 lakh from the BRGF for the arrangements for the Vikasa sankalpa celebrations, the veteran Congress leader said that this showed the “corrupt administration” of the BJP Government.

Terming it an “inexcusable offence”, he demanded a detailed investigation into the matter and action against the officers concerned.

Mr. Amaranarayan told The Hindu that the district administration had used the BRGF for organising the Vikasa Sankalpa celebrations. He said that there was no clear instruction from the Government as to which funds should be used for the Vikasa Sankalpa celebrations. He said that the BRGF had been used for the purpose and it would soon be reimbursed from “some other fund”.

To a question, he said that over Rs. 40 lakh had been spent for the celebrations. He claimed to have discussed with the Government before making use of the BRGF for the arrangements.

The Deputy Commissioner said that cheques had been issued to the contractors and other agencies.He said that he was thinking about cancelling those cheques.

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