Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (MS/HB)
Udupi, Oct 24: "A huge scam has taken place in the funds meant for Dalits, under the health card scheme. More than 50% of Dalits do not know what health card is. Rs 50 lac is paid as premium every year towards the health cards. Lac of rupees of scam has taken place by paying premium in the name of people who are dead," said Sundar Master, chief district convener of Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS).
Sundar Master was speaking at the press conference in Udupi Press club on Saturday, October 24. He further said, "For the last eight years, Rs 5.24 crore is spent from the reserve funds under this scheme. City municipal council (CMC) officials are involved in the scam with a private insurance company. In Moodubettu ward alone premium is paid in the name of 30 people who died long back. If this is calculated for all the 35 wards of the CMC the scam turns out to be a huge one. In addition, neither the insurance company nor the city municipality distributes these so called health cards.
"The money that is misused should be repaid to the CMC. If the district administration shows negligence in this matter, then our organization will hold a protest in front of the CMC office at district level within 15 days.
"The SCP and TSP grants is misused on roads which are already in good condition.
"In Udupi city fake bills are generated for the two Indira canteens. In the bills, it is shown that 30,000 plates of breakfast, 28,000 plates of lunch and 10,000 plates of dinner are served every month. Lac of rupees are misused in this manner. The estimated bills of Indira canteen in the last two years is around Rs 84 lac. The consumers have even complained of providing low quality food in these canteens.
"The CMC officials are threatening civic workers. That too they are conducting atrocities on Koraga community. Though free vehicles are provided by the government, the officials are asking for commission every month.
"In various departments of the CMC, the recruitment of scheduled tribe people is more than scheduled caste. The CMC commissioner does not answer anyone in a suitable manner. He always says to ask the MLA. This should be investigated by Lokayukta. Environment officer Sneha, health personnel Manohar and Karunakar have to be transferred immediately to other place as huge corruption has taken place in health and environment department of the CMC. Severe action has to be taken on the culprits,” he said.
District organizational convener Shyamaraj Birti, Manjunath Balkudru, Bhaskar Master, Shankar Das, Udupi taluk convener, Vittal Ucchila, Kaup taluk convener, Shivananda Moodubettu, city convener and S S Prasad, state chief convener were present in the press conference.