The
Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust, headed by Congress minister and Union Law
Minister Salman Khurshid, has come under the scanner after
Aaj Tak TV channel
exposed a scam to the tune of Rs 71 lakh.
According to the news channel's report,
the Union Ministry for Social Welfare and Empowerment had granted Rs
71.50 lakh to the trust for distributing tricycles and hearing aids to
the disabled in 17 districts of UP.
Salman Khurshid is the president of the Trust and his wife Louis Khurshid its project director.
According to the rules, the trust should have informed the district
magistrate, the district social welfare officers prepares and send a
list of beneficiaries from districts and the money is disbursed at the
camps organized for this purpose, in the presence of district
officials.
But reports state that the Trust distributed the equipments under
the forged signatures of district welfare officers and the camps were
never held.
Qouting district welfare officer of Farrukhabad, Ram Anurag Verma,
the Aaj Tak report states that the he was neither aware of this Trust,
nor of any disbursement of material. But, a letter signed by Louis said
that the camps were organized, officers were informed and equipments
distributed.
The report states that the Union ministry for social welfare and
empowerment had been informed about this in May 2011, but no one sought an
inquiry.
The ministry had asked the state government to probe into the activities of the trust.
The irregularities came to light after the UP government asked the
district magistrate and welfare officers of those 17 districts to submit
a report in this regard.
The inquiry revealed that the signatures of CMO in Etawah as well
as that of the handicapped welfare officer Bulandshahar were forged.
In its reply to the ministry, the UP government said that fake
seals and stamps were used with forged signatures of officials and lakhs
of rupees siphoned off.
Emerging story. Watch this space for updates as more details come in