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Ministry for audit of firms selected for rural projects
Even as the deadline for the submission of the detailed project reports (DPRs) of 11 Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) projects ended on Tuesday, the ministry of rural development has called for an audit review of the companies which have been hand over the public-private-participation projects in seven states.
Even as the deadline for the submission of the detailed project reports (DPRs) of 11 Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) projects ended on Tuesday, the ministry of rural development has called for an audit review of the companies which have been hand over the public-private-participation projects in seven states.
The audit comes in the wake of allegations that three projects were allocated to a company in which the son of a senior bureaucrat, who is part of the committee that approves them, is an employee.
IL&FS, a company in which Abhinav Mayaram - the son of Arvind Mayaram, additional secretary, ministry of rural development works- has got three projects, against the established norms, sources told Hindustan Times.
The ministry had invited proposals in November in which 6 companies had bagged 11 projects. IL&FS got two projects in Rajasthan and one in Uttarakhand.
One of the projects in Rajasthan is in Rajsamand - the home district of C P Joshi, former minister for rural development, during whose tenure the selection had happened.
Mayaram is a 1978-batch IAS from Rajasthan cadre with a family background in politics. While there is a set norm of not allocating more than two projects to a company, PURA rules also do not allow more than two projects per state.
Meanwhile, Mayaram said he was aware of the allegations and that the audit was his suggestion.
"My son works in an arm of ILFS which has nothing to do with the projects of the ministry. The allocations are transparent and done by committee involving several ministries. I am disassociating from the process now," Mayaram said.
The empowered committee is meeting on Wednesday.
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