Day before retirement, IAS officer faces corruption allegation

Mumbai: A day before his retirement, IAS officer and additional chief secretary Nand Kumar has been hit by charges of corruption with allegations being made that he speeded up the process for tender of ₹70 crore for the purchase of 26,250 electronic tablets and has exaggerated the cost involved.

In his letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde, the leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve alleged corruption in the tender process for purchase of tablets and demanded a probe into the matter by a special investigation team (SIT). He also asked for the tender to be cancelled.

Kumar is additional chief secretary of OBC Bahujan Welfare Department and also in charge of Employment Guarantee Scheme Department that implements MGNREGA. He is retiring from the service on May 31.

On Tuesday, a day before Kumar’s retirement, Danve said, “Nand Kumar, who is retiring now, speeded up the tender process. The tender was issued for the Department of Employment Guarantee Scheme under minister Sandipan Bhumre.

“In that tender, along with the cost of the tab, the cost of a GIS mobile application is also included, which means an additional ₹35 crore will be spent for the same. Otherwise, the tender for the purchase of the tablets would only be of ₹35 crore,” said Danve.

“The Central government has made this mobile application available free of charge. Then why is Nand Kumar-led department spending ₹35 crore extra on that application?” asked Danve, while speaking to the media.

Danve also alleged that necessary pemission was not taken for the purchase. “According to the government decision of December 1, 2016, it is necessary to get the permission of High Power Committee for any purchase above ₹5 crore. However, the committee’s permission was not taken for the purchase of these tablets,” alleged Danve.

Replying to the allegation, Kumar said, “It’s baseless. It’s basically a fight among the suppliers.”

This is not the first time that Kumar is facing such allegations of scam. He has faced controversies during his tenure as the principal secretary (school education).

Besides, in 2012, the Maharashtra government had ordered two departmental inquiries against him after the Lokayukta of Chhattisgarh gave a detailed report on the alleged irregularities in appointments he made during his stint as school education secretary of Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh Lokayukta Justice L C Bhadu had sought disciplinary action against Kumar for violating norms while appointing the director and assistant director at the Chhattisgarh Mahila Samakhya Society. A Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, Kumar had served in Chhattisgarh for five years from 2005 and was sent back to Mumbai in 2010.