Return Rs 1100 cr Covid funds, SC tells Jagan govt
The supreme court ordered the government of andhra pradesh under Y S jagan Mohan reddy on monday to refund Rs 1100 crore of Covid-19 relief monies that it is believed were taken from the State Disaster Response Support (SDRF) to fund its welfare programmes. The jagan government was criticised by a division of the supreme court made up of justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna for transferring funds intended for ex gratia payments to the families of Covid-19 victims into personal deposit (PD) accounts to support welfare programmes, particularly the Rythu Bharosa.
The court ordered the government to return the Rs 1100 crore to the SDRF within the next two weeks, calling the diverting of funds intended for disaster assistance for other uses a serious problem. Additionally, it demanded that the government resolve any claims made by Covid-19 relief recipients within four weeks of receiving their application. The decision prohibited the state administration from using the funds if they had already been transferred in april of this year.
After a protracted hearing on the suit filed by former telugu desam party (TDP) mla Palla Srinivasa Rao, the supreme court rendered its decision. In his statement, he cited a letter from Union minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary to tdp MP Kinjarapu ram mohan Naidu dated march 12, 2022, in which Chaudhary provided details about the alleged diversion that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had noted in its report on state finances for the year ending march 2020.
The court ordered the government to return the Rs 1100 crore to the SDRF within the next two weeks, calling the diverting of funds intended for disaster assistance for other uses a serious problem. Additionally, it demanded that the government resolve any claims made by Covid-19 relief recipients within four weeks of receiving their application. The decision prohibited the state administration from using the funds if they had already been transferred in april of this year.
After a protracted hearing on the suit filed by former telugu desam party (TDP) mla Palla Srinivasa Rao, the supreme court rendered its decision. In his statement, he cited a letter from Union minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary to tdp MP Kinjarapu ram mohan Naidu dated march 12, 2022, in which Chaudhary provided details about the alleged diversion that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had noted in its report on state finances for the year ending march 2020.