Committee to probe corruption in tribal schemes: Maha AG to HC

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Maharashtra Government would appoint a committee headed by a retired high court judge to probe into the alleged Rs 6,000-crore scam in the purchase of materials related to tribal welfare schemes, state's Advocate General informed the Bombay High Court today.
Advocate General Darius Khambata told a bench headed by Justice V M Kanade about the enquiry committee after the court asked about steps being taken by the state with regard to the allegations.
"The tribals are not staying far away... Visit them and find out their condition," the judges told the authorities.
Earlier, hearing a PIL filed by Bahiram Motiram, a tribal from Nashik district, the court had asked CBI to probe into the multi-crore scam and slammed the state government for not taking concrete steps to look into the allegations.

The court had observed that the allegations were of serious nature and not without substance.
Commissioner of Tribal Development in Maharashtra Sambhajirao Sarkunde filed an affidavit in the court today denying the allegations and justifying the money spent on various tribal schemes in the state.

He said the department runs 552 residential ashram schools in the state which impart education to 1,08,813 boys and 9,86,90 girls and due to various schemes run by the department, the rate of school drop out of students had come down to 3.75 per cent in 2006-07 from 4.66 per cent in 2003-04.
The Commissioner said the students get free breakfast, lunch and dinner, accommodation, educational material, shoes and bedding.

He said there was no substance in the allegation that purchase of liquid protein bottles was made without following procedure.
Denying corruption of Rs 6000 crore in various schemes of the Tribal Development Department, the Commissioner said that total expenditure incurred on tribal schemes during the period 2005-06 to 2009-10 was to the tune of Rs 962.37 crore.
According to PIL, under different schemes, the tribal department had allegedly made purchases towards curbing malnutrition, distribution of cows and buffaloes and supply of diesel engine, without calling for tenders.
It alleged that the amounts shown as disbursed towards tribal welfare were actually siphoned off.

The petition also alleged that in March 2006, the tribal development department had procured liquid protein without following proper procedure and liquid protein bottles were not distributed to tribal children though the amount was disbursed.