Cong alleges Kavitha siphoned off crores of rupees
PNS|Hyderabad
The Congress said that BRS MLC Kavitha committed illegal acts in the name of Telangana Jagruthi Skill Development and that she should be arrested immediately.
Congress leaders also filed a complaint with the CBI requesting it to investigate the illegal acts of the Telangana Jagruthi Skill Development programmes.
Congress leaders staged a dharna in front of the Gandhi Bhavan on Friday under the leadership of former TPCC general secretary Bakka Judson. TPCC general secretary Uzma Shakir, Laxman Yadav, Godvuri Laxman Yadav, Ayita Giribabu and others participated in the dharna.
Speaking to the media, Judson said that in 2014, the Union Government had set up the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). The then Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy was the Minister in charge of skill development programmes. A total of Rs 12,000 crore was spent in this regard.
KCR’s daughter Kavitha had earlier started an organization named ‘Telangana Jagruthi’ as a state cultural centre. It was a private and organisation and it collected crores with quid pro quo arrangements for underground favours by her father via benami sources.He said that on November 7, 2015, she also started a limited company named ‘Bharat Jagruti Foundation’ and she and her husband Anil Kumar who were its directors entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Skill Development and siphoned off crores in the name of a Skill Development Programme in Telangana.
Five Skill Development Centres were opened in the 17 parliamentary constituencies of Telangana (photo sessions) and publicity was ensured by hiring film stars and celebrities for fund raising.
In fact, the list of students who received the mentioned skills and training at the centres is still not available. Currently, the website of the skill development programmes also is not available. The skill development centres mentioned earlier with addresses are not providing any training.
He said that the AP CID arrested former CM N. Chandrababu Naidu as the main beneficiary of this racket. Siemens denied a scam of Rs 371 crore in its contract for skill development projects and no family members of Chandrababu are directors in Siemens.
He said the KCR’s daughter Kavitha is the brain behind the Telangana Jagruthi Skill Development programmes. This scam is bigger than the Siemens Skill Development scam, he added.
He said that in 2019, the Telangana programme was stopped and investigation is not going on because of the involvement of the Union Minister and Chief Minister’s daughter in the scam. KCR, his daughter and Skill Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy along with the chief architect misled youth with false statements, he added.
Judson said that the PMKVY was revamped in 2016, making it mandatory to report employment data to skill training centres. “The pace of skilling does not match the objectives set by the ministry at the time of inception. The CII’s Skill Development National Committee Chairman Arun Nanda said that Prime Minister Modi’s removal of Rajiv Pratap Rudy from the ministry symbolised his displeasure with the ministry’s progress,” experts said.
Judson requested the CBI to investigate the Telangana Jagruti and its audit reports of the last 10 years. The investigation should focus on foreign funds (money laundering), visa scams and inappropriate activities and the various types of funds received without Central approval.
He demanded an inquiry into the private limited company incorporated on November 7, 2015, under the ‘Bharat Jagruti Foundation,’ the company’s CAN number and its board of directors’ role in achieving its goals and funding. He said that its annual reports should be published along with its financial statements. The Registrar of Companies must be notified, he added.
He demanded that the CBI must examine the MoU signed between the Ministry of Skill Development (PMKVY) and former minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the Bharat Jagruti Foundation on the flow of funds and the annual reports submitted by these organisations.
He said that the Skill development centres are now closed, redundant and non-functional. Current dealings between PMKVY and this organization should be disclosed to the public clearly, he said.
He said that KCR should be charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and inducing dishonest distribution of assets under IPC Section 465.
