Thiruvananthapuram: Almost a month after the devastating landslide in Wayanad, which claimed several lives and caused massive destructions, the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) has received Rs 246.9 crore towards the relief and rehabilitation of the landslide victims.
This paints a grim picture as the donation calls by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seem to have evoked low response when compared to the earlier times.
It is also to be noted that a large chunk of state government employees and IAS officers are yet to cooperate with the government's call for donating five days salary to CMDRF. This is amidst the allegations of misuse of donations received in CMDRF during the 2018-19 floods and Covid-19. Earlier this month, the government has constituted a complaint redressal cell in the Finance department to address the queries related to the matters in connection with Wayanad landslides.
While Rs 4,970.29 crore was received in the CMDRF for the 2018-19 floods relief activities, during Covid-19, it received Rs 1,129.74 crore. The contributions received in CMDRF for Wayanad, which was hit by landslides that claimed around 400 lives and caused destruction worth around Rs 1,200 crore, is only Rs 246.9 crore.
Despite repeated pleas of the chief minister, a major chunk of government employees are yet to give willingness to contribute five days salary to the government. The IAS association had also expressed displeasure over deducting five days salary as they were not invited to a meeting of service organisations held by the chief minister in this regard.
Anti-corruption activist R S Sasikumar, who earlier moved the Kerala Lok Ayukta against the misuse of CMDRF by the Pinarayi Vijayan government, says that the people lost faith in CMDRF owing to the government's widespread misuse. The sluggish response is due to this, he told DH.
He had also submitted a representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure a state-centre joint monitoring mechanism on the utilisation of central assistance to be provided for Wayanad landslide relief and rehabilitation. He also claimed in the representation that the funds collected for flood and Covid relief were widely misused by the Kerala government.
The state government has been flaying that vested interest groups were unleashing misleading campaigns against the CMDRF. The state police also registered several cases in this connection.