Shocking details of the extravagance of Pinarayi Vijayan – led Kerala government has surfaced again. According to reports, over Rs 4 Crore has been allocated for the launch ceremony of KFON scheduled to be held within the legislative assembly complex.
In a scathing attack, the opposition Congress accused the CPI(M)-led regime of extravagant spending while the state grapples with a financial crisis.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has already announced its decision to boycott the inauguration of the multi-crore project, along with all related events, citing alleged corruption associated with it.
Initially, the KFON project aimed to provide free internet connectivity to 20 lakh families and 10,000 government offices within 18 months. However, the opposition claims that the number of beneficiaries was later reduced to a mere 10,000.
Despite the reduction in the number of beneficiaries, the government has failed to complete the project, even though Rs 1,500 crore has already been invested, according to V D Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
Satheesan pointed out that the KFON project’s inauguration was previously conducted during the tenure of the previous Vijayan government in 2017. He criticized the government for holding the inauguration again without completing the project.
“The government is facing severe financial constraints and struggling to pay salaries and pensions to its employees. Yet, there seems to be no shortage of extravagance,” Satheesan stated during a press conference.
The inauguration of the KFON project, scheduled to take place in a hall within the Legislative Assembly complex, has been allocated a total of Rs 4.35 crore, Satheesan revealed.
Accusing the Pinarayi Vijayan government of corruption and extravagance, Satheesan reiterated that the opposition would not cooperate with the project’s rollout and launch.
During the press conference, Satheesan shared a copy of a recent government order detailing the release of funds for the inaugural expenses of the KFON project.
In the order dated May 24, the government stated that it had thoroughly examined the matter and decided to “release an amount of Rs.4.35 Crore to KSITIL, for meeting the expenses” related to the inauguration ceremony of the KFON project.
Satheesan further alleged that a total of Rs 124 crore was spent on the anniversary celebrations of the Vijayan government, which recently completed two years in office.
Addressing Chief Minister Vijayan’s recent allegation that the opposition was aligned with the BJP on the issue of the central government’s reduction of the state’s borrowing limit, Satheesan expressed his surprise and termed it “strange.” He criticized Vijayan for attacking the opposition on a matter about which he seemingly had no knowledge or information.
Furthermore, Satheesan criticized the state government for requesting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct audit procedures using specific software, which he argued violated the Constitution.
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