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Kerala Chief Minister's Relief Fund: Massive Irregularities Found In Disbursal; Statewide Raids Conducted
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan (file photo)
Over 500 officers of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau are conducting raids across the state after the emergence of evidence of a huge number of cases of disbursement of funds from the Chief Minister's Grievance Redressal and Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to ineligible beneficiaries.
The Fund is used to assist poor people with their medical treatment, accident victims and people affected by natural calamities. It is funded by public donations.
The raids have unearthed cases of the same doctor attesting several medical reports and people not knowing that funds have been disbursed in their names.
While evidence has emerged from all districts, there seems to be a more organised effort at misusing the Fund in the districts of Idukki, Kollam and Kottayam, said Vigilance officials.
They added that the findings were based on the perusal of files from the last two years and that a study of files from before 2021 might throw up even more cases.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Surendran alleged that the funds were finding their way into the pockets of Communist Party of India (Marxist)-CPI(M) cadres.
According to political commentators, this resembles the diversion of funds meant for flood relief in 2018, which had earned the name 'flood relief scam.'
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