Team Anna swindles crores of donations
New Delhi: Ever since social activists Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal parted ways, the clouds of controversy around the two have been darkening. Kejriwal is yet again in the middle of storm ever since the reports about him returning the donated money to Anna, emerged.
Serious questions are being raised regarding India Against Corruption finances after an audit report published by the NGO showed some shocking discrepancies.
Kejriwal, who talked about transparency and accountability at all government levels, is himself facing allegations over misuse of funds from his own members.
Notably, Kejriwal, is under fire heat from those people, who were once part of the erstwhile Team Anna during the anti-corruption agitations. On facing the heat, Kejriwal-led Public Cause Research Foundation made the audit report till March 31, 2012, public on their site.
An audit of the donations received by Team Anna has been shared by The Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), which counts among its trustees Arvind Kejriwal, who was once Anna’s closest aide.
However, a thorough analysis of the audit report revealed several discrepancies.
For instance, the office pantry expenses for the period ending on September 30, 2011 were Rs 21,927. However, the pantry expenses in the next six months increased manifolds to Rs 89,070. The audit report also reveals that the communication expenses which were Rs 2,68,986 at the end of September 2011, doubled in a span of six months. The communication expenses for the period ending March 31, 2012 reached Rs 5,77,474.
The speed with which legal expenses increased, the audit report is bound to raise several questions on the credibility of the Magsaysay award winner. For instance, till September last year, the audit report showed the legal expenses to be Rs 14,936 but the expenditure on legal activities was calculated to be Rs 2,90,742 by March end this year.
This accounts to 20 times increase in the legal expenses by erstwhile Team Anna in the span of six months. This at a time when the erstwhile Team Anna had prominent lawyers and legal advisors like Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan.
Further comparison between the two audit reports of PCRF revealed that the printing and stationery cost that was as high as Rs 2,81,318 on September 30, 2011, reduced to Rs 1,53,965 till March end this year. Major difference in the stationery expenses either hint at some flaws in the audit report or discrepancy in the preparation of balance sheet.
Another serious discrepancy was noticed in the publication expenses. The publication expenses which were Rs 26,55,978 on September 30, declined by almost Rs 10 lakh. The publication expenses were found to be Rs. 16,69,656 as on March 31, 2012.
Similarly, the analysis of the two audit reports also showed that the office rent was hiked upto Rs 50,000 in merely six months. The office rent, which was Rs 1,39,850 on September 30 2011, increased to Rs 1,89,077 by March 31 this year.
According to the audit report, the agitation received highest donation of Rs 25 lakh from Sitaram Jindal on behalf of Jindal Steel. Notably, Congress MP Naveen Jindal, is the chairman and MD of Jindal Steel & Power. Kejriwal never hesitated to recieve donation from the company owned by the individual, whose Jindal Power is one of the beneficiaries of the coal allocations.
Reblogged by AVAM INDIA
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