***** use Kargil relief funds for cars, ACs, nappies

[karira]

***** use Kargil relief funds for cars, ACs, nappies

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS running Indian Red Cross Society branches in Punjab used funds amounting to lakhs, meant for relief to people affected by war or natural disasters, to buy cars, ACs, cellphones, furniture - and even nappies for their babies.

Documents of expenses between 1999 and 2006, obtained through the RTI Act by Ludhiana-based NGO Resurgence India, also show that funds were used to pay hotel and restaurant bills and newspaper bills. The documents suggested money collected for relief to those hit by the Kargil war, Orissa supercyclone and Gujarat earthquake never reached the victims. Grants from central ministries were also misused or diverted.

Documents of just three districts - Ludhiana, Patiala and Sangrur - show a massive diversion of funds in what could be a statewide, perhaps nationwide, scandal. Deputy commissioners (DCs) who headed the Red Cross branches in these districts spent on things completely unrelated to Red Cross objectives. Some expenses, if at all, should have been met by the state government.

Hitender Jain, general secretary of Resurgence India, said: "The DCs have made Red Cross their fiefdom... The misuse of Red Cross funds merits a thorough investigation...."

The Hindustan Times's Chandigarh edition reported the scam on Sunday. Within hours, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal ordered divisional commissioners to hold an inquiry and submit their reports within 15 days.
Indian Red Cross Society secretary general S.P. Agarwal told HT on the phone from Delhi: "They (DCs) cannot spend Red Cross money for government or personal expenses... the governor should be informed."
With branches throughout the country, the Indian Red Cross Society is managed under an Act of Parliament. At the national level, the President heads it while the Union health minister is its chairperson. At the state level, the governor heads it and the chief minister is the vice-president. The DC heads the branch at the district level.

A former DC of Patiala, Tejveer Singh, said at times a DC is forced to meet government expenses by spending from Red Cross funds. "This is because of the lack of funds provided by the government to the districts. On a day-to-day basis, the DCs face this problem and the only way out is to use society's fund," he said. Right after Tejveer's tenure, for example, the Patiala Red Cross bought two rumalas for Rs 4,200 for Prince Charles and his wife to offer at Gurdwara Sahib.

In 2002, the Sangrur branch spent Rs 45,000 as "donation for election purpose". The Ludhiana branch provided two cars to the DC and his wife.

***** use Kargil relief funds for cars, ACs, nappies - Yahoo! India News

[karira]

"A former DC of Patiala, Tejveer Singh, said at times a DC is forced to meet government expenses by spending from Red Cross funds. "This is because of the lack of funds provided by the government to the districts. On a day-to-day basis, the DCs face this problem and the only way out is to use society's fund," he said."

This is the low depths governance has reached in India.
Now, one cannot donate to Red Cross, one cannot donate to PM Relief Fund because you never know what will happen to the money.

[karira]

As reported by Maneesh Chibber on expressindia.com on 23 February 2008:
Govt ends double cross in name of Red Cross/Saturday , February 23, 2008 at 12:19:13

Govt ends double cross in name of Red Cross


Chandigarh, February 22 Close on the heels of various district Red Cross societies having been found involved in highly questionable diversion of funds collected in the name of war victims and victims of natural calamities, the Punjab government has initiated a move to check the wayward actions of the societies.District Red Cross societies are headed by the respective deputy commissioners.

To begin with, the government has ordered the Deputy Commissioners of Muktsar and Faridkot to “immediately end” the practice of forcing all applicants for arms licence to shell out Rs 2,000 and Rs 500, respectively, as “donation” to the Red Cross.

Orders to this effect were issued yesterday by the state Home Department. Sources said the government had received complaints from some applicants about them being forced to pay Rs 2,000 and Rs 500, respectively, as donation to the Red Cross with every application for issuance of an arms licence. An inquiry held by the government established the allegations, following which the government stepped in to put an end to the practice.

“Deputy Commissioners of all districts have also been told to check any such practice,” said a senior government official.

Sources said the decision to effectively check the practice of the DCs allowing and, in some cases, facilitating forcible collection of funds in the name of the Red Cross was taken sometime back by the government. This followed startling facts revealed in information procured by a Ludhiana-based NGO through the Right to Information Act.

In response to the NGOs RTI applications, it came out that the district Red Cross societies in Punjab had been diverting funds for making needless and questionable purchases.

The officer said some more ways adopted by the district administrations to force hapless citizens to fill the coffers of the Red Cross societies are also under examination and the government could soon issue orders to put an end to all such collections.

The matter of misuse of Red Cross funds by some district societies all with the consent of the respective DCs is already the subject matter of a pending public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

[kushal]

very informative news.

[karira]

As reported in in.news.yahoo.com on 5 May 2008:
Payback time for Punjab DCs - Yahoo! India News

Payback time for Punjab DCs

THE PUNJAB government has decided to recover money from deputy commissioners who misutilised funds collected by Red Cross Societies for Kargil War Relief, Orissa Cyclone Relief and Gujarat Earthquake Relief etc. Hindustan Times had in December last year carried reports on misutilisation of Red Cross funds.

Resurgence India, a Ludhiana-based NGO, had obtained the information under the RTI Act. Sources said Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh issued the orders last week asking the divisional commissioners to recover money from the DCs.

If they failed to deposit it to the accounts of Red Cross Societies, it would be deducted from monthly salaries, said the order. The order also said that the DCs who spent the Red Cross Society funds on personnel use would have to deposit the money from their own pocket.

The government would chip in for the amount spent for various official purposes. The Deputy Commissioners of Patiala, Ludhiana and Sangrur districts either used the funds for purchasing personal household merchandise, as mundane as incense sticks and nappies, or bought furniture and curtains for offices and government residences in the districts.

As a result, the money could never reach the victims. Sources said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had taken a serious view of the funds being misutilised.

The government is also contemplating action against the DCs found guilty. It has also submitted an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court promising recovery of funds from the DCs and that it was ready to chip in where the money was spent officially.