After the massive misuse of the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) in Kerala came to light, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has warned of stringent action against those responsible.

Chief Minister Vijayan said that stronger steps will be taken to ensure that the deserving get aid from the CMDRF and also to stop the undeserving from receiving it

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“Strong action will be taken to prevent the undeserving from receiving aid from CMDRF and to ensure that the deserving gets it. No mercy will be shown to those who helped ineligible persons reap the benefits of the fund,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

“The government is determined not to allow any wrong trend to creep in. That is why Vigilance has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation. Vigilance has directed further action on the issues identified in relation to disbursement of financial assistance. The vigilance was asked to investigate when some complaints were noticed about receiving undeserved assistance from the relief fund,” the CM said

Widespread misuse of Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) in providing medical assistance based on fabricated certificates has been unearthed.

The misuse of  the fund  came to light  in the state-wide probe by the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau. The Vigilance wing conducted the probe  based on complaints that a section of officers in various collectorates misused their position to approve applications submitted through agents.

In the probe, it has been found that a single applicant  has received aid three times from Kottayam and Idukki collectorates. He received Rs 5,000 for a heart disease from Kottayam in 2017 and two years later he received Rs 10,000 from Idukki for the same ailment. The same person received Rs 10,000 for cancer treatment from Idukki in 2020.

Two well-off non-resident Indians (NRIs) were found to have received Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 45,000 as aid in Ernakulam district

The Vigilance, in its probe, found a doctor to have issued 1,500 medical certificates at Punalur taluk and an orthopedic doctor to have supplied certificates to 13 of the 20 applications in Kollam.

Responding to the massive misuse of the CMDRF, leader of Opposition VD Satheesan said that the irregularity in the Chief Minister’s relief fund is shocking. The misuse of the fund should be  investigated by a  special investigation team. The role of CPI-M will become clear if a proper investigation is done in the fraud, Satheesan said

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that the vigilance investigation in the CMDRF fraud is insufficient. A special  team should be appointed for detailed investigation into the  massive misuse of the relief fund, he said.