SC order on diverted funds a slap for Jagan govt: Naidu
The supreme court on Monday ordered the Andhra Pradesh government to deposit the diverted Covid-19 funds back to the State Disaster Response Fund (SRDF) within two weeks
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 July 2022 12:34 PM GMT
Vijayawada: The Supreme Court has once again pulled up the Jagan Mohan Reddy government for diverting Rs. 1,100 crores of the State Disaster Response Fund meant for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. The apex court's directions to deposit the diverted funds immediately in the SDRF account is nothing but a slap on the face of the state government, said TDP national president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here on Monday.
The supreme court on Monday ordered the Andhra Pradesh government to deposit the diverted Covid-19 funds back to the State Disaster Response Fund (SRDF) within two weeks. Following this, the AP government has agreed to revert the funds.
TDP leader Palla Srinivasa Rao had filed a petition in the Supreme Court alleging that the state government is diverting the disaster management funds to the personal deposit account of the agriculture commissioner. The funds were meant for the families of those who died due to Covid-19.
A two-judge Bench comprising Justice M.R Shah and Justice B.V Naga Ratna heard the petition. The Bench directed the state to deposit about Rs. 1,100 crores of diverted funds to the SDRF account. The court also asked the government to clear all claims of the Covid-19 relief beneficiaries within four weeks of the receipt of their application.
"The Jagan Mohan Reddy government is not only committing blunders but also resorting to serious foul play to cover up these mistakes, Mr. Naidu said. Diverting the funds meant for the assistance of the Covid-affected is a classic example of the inhuman nature of the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime, he added. When calamities like floods or Covid take place, instead of coming to the rescue of the affected, the state government is diverting the funds meant for rescue operations. This is nothing but doing injustice to them, he maintained.
The TDP chief said that at least now the state government should come to the rescue of the Covid-affected families and save them from the troubles that they are facing.
