Tamil Nadu Finance Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan retracted his statement on the amount of money donated to Akshaya Patra by the Raj Bhavan after realizing that quoted incorrect numbers in the Assembly a few days ago.
On 30 March 2023, DMK Minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan accused the Governor’s office of financial irregularities during a discussion on grant demand. He said that the Raj Bhavan transferred ₹4 crores to a private NGO Akhsya Patra flouting norms.
PTR said, “Out of the ₹5 crores discretionary allocation in the fiscal year 2019-20, ₹4 crores has been transferred to Akshaya Patra (an NGO providing mid-day meals for school children) in two installments of ₹2 crores in 2019. There is no transparency over how and where the remaining fund of ₹1 crore is parked.”
PTR accused Raj Bhavan of multiple violations in the manner in which funds were transferred to the NGO. “There are two instances of fund transfers — ₹4 crores in 2019-20 and ₹1 crore in 2020-21 — to the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Later on, the scheme itself was shelved. It has proved to be a bad investment and an undemocratic practice,” PTR said in the Assembly.
However, PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan had to retract his statement about the amount transferred by Raj Bhavan to Akshaya Patra, as data had suggests otherwise.
The DMK often indulges in disrespecting the Governor post calling him a person who lives in a bungalow at the cost of the State exchequer. PTR himself had taken a jibe on the amount of money spent by different state governments on Governor in which Tamil Nadu topped.
😲😲😲
This data is apparently from Frontline…will try to validate
Didn't realize Tamil Nadu was such an outlier in spending on the Governor!
Raises so many questions….🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/PbXo4LyVoD
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) December 2, 2022
However, for a change, PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan said that the DMK holds high regards for the Governor post and accordingly has raised the budgetary allocation for the office of Governor.
Speaking on the resolution criticizing Governor RN Ravi moved by CM MK Stalin in the Assembly, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan on Monday (10 April 2023) said, “After we came to power, owing to our Hon’ble Chief Minister’s deep importance and respect he places on the post of Governor, budgetary allocation for the Governor’s Secretariat has increased from ₹2.41 crore to ₹2.82 crore last year and for this year ₹3.63 crore has been allocated.”
He added that the Governor’s household expenditure which was ₹11.6 crore when they came to power was increased to ₹15.93 crore last year and this year it has been raised to ₹16.69 crore.
He also said that the Discretionary Grant (as mandated by 1937 Finance Code) has increased from ₹1.57 lakhs in 2018-19 to ₹50 lakh in 3 months and thereafter ₹5 crore in provisionally revised estimates.
“I am bound to retract some of the statements I made that day in the House. That day, I said that Akshaya Patra has been twice awarded two crores.”, he said.
He added that the funds from Governor’s discretionary fund were originally transferred to Governor’s household accounts and not Akshaya Patra’s account. He added, “The funds were then transferred to other accounts, including to Akshaya Patra.”
PTR thus admitted to lying in the assembly about the transfer of 4 crores from the Governor’s discretionary fund to Akshaya Patra. However, no major news outlets have reported on how Finance Minister PTR lied before the entire Assembly before retracting it. Instead, they chose to highlight his statements on alleged violations of Finance Code by Raj Bhavan.
I was obliged to correct my previous statement regarding the Governor’s office financing the Akshaya Patra scheme, in response to an Hon’ble member’s queries in the assembly today, based on new information I had discovered.
I wish to reiterate that the Hon’ble Chief Minister… pic.twitter.com/OgtYCqK859
— Dr P Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (@ptrmadurai) April 11, 2023
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