The audit objections regarding Kollam district panchayat projects are baseless and politically motivated, said its president P. K. Gopan here on Monday.
The Youth Congress had alleged discrepancies in the disbursement of funds in various projects including The Citizen constitution literacy campaign, Ujjvalam and Gramajyothi.
“The constitution literacy campaign was implemented with the approval of the coordination committee and the ₹1.12 crore spent includes publication of handbook, publicity, inauguration and declaration of complete constitutional literacy. The District Planning Committee with Collector as member secretary has approved the project. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had urged other districts to implement the project and it was also included in the State Budget,” said the president after the Budget presentation. He added that the Ujjvalam project was launched long back to improve the pass percentage of SSLC students in the district.
“When the project started it was called Vijaya Sopanam. It was later renamed as Ujjvalam and then Vidyaposhini. Notes are prepared with the help of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) as part of the project and the Deputy Director of Education is in charge of the project. “We have been implementing the project for several years now. There has been no issues in previous years and the current objections are are disputable,” he said. Auditors of the State government had also raised objections regarding Gramajyothi and Swapnakoodu projects.
Gramajyoti aims to set up public spaces by providing facilities like open stage, fitness park and seating. “The Devaswom Board only gives approval for the implementation of the project while retaining the ownership of the land. The project was implemented under the supervision of the Board and district panchayat,” he said.
Through Swapnakoodu, the housing project launched by the district panchayat on Sunday, 75 families living in extreme poverty will be provided homes. This project is being implemented with the support of Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB) and it was taken up after setting aside funds for LIFE project. The auditors also argue that food kits disbursal project for transgenders cannot be considered as a welfare measure. But the panchayat will go ahead with all its development and welfare oriented activities,” said Mr.Gopan.
