Corruption charges levelled against Goa SACS Project Director

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

Wish you a Merry Cristmas and Bright New Year 2007. From: Members and team of

Positive Lives Foundation " PLF-GOA " . The following news is for the attention of

NACO, other forum members and aids control program authorities. so that they

should know the progress happaning in Goa. How NGO'S and individaul are facing a

problem working in the field of HIV/AIDS in Goa. Looking forward for your

cooperation and support.

___________

NT Staff Reporter

Panaji, Dec 23: Charges of misappropriation of funds, mismanagement and lack of

vision have been levelled against the project director of the Goa AIDS Control

Society, which is main body combating HIV/AIDS in the state.While charges of

corruption are common in government bodies, this time the attack comes from

within the belly of the beast. The deputy director information, Education and

communication (IEC), Ms Manorama Bakshi today addressed a press conference and

raised a host of uncomfortable questions and directly implicated the GSACS

Project Director, Dr Prakash Kanekar in the malfunctioning of the society.

Ms Bakshi, who has recently been served a termination notice by the Director,

said she has not accepted the order, as it has not been signed by the health

secretary as required under the rules. She also said no grounds have been cited

in the dismissal order.

Pointing to a larger pattern of removal of people who ask questions in the

department, Ms Bakshi said from April to December this year, four people

including herself, have either been terminated or shifted from GSACS. These

include former project director, Dr Dias and deputy directors, Ms

Rodrigues and Dr Ramaswamy. While there are other staff members, who are unhappy

with the functioning, they are keeping quiet in fear of losing their jobs, she

said.

In a detailed report handed to the media, Ms Bakshi pointed to several alleged

anomalies. The GSACS accounts section has given a contract to an umbrella vendor

to the tune of Rs 14-lakh and now these 1000 umbrellas are lying in the

storeroom. While alleging that she was always by-passed on these issues relating

to IEC, she has also questioned whether the approval of the Health Secretary was

obtained in this particular case.

“As per guidelines of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), for a

tender exceeding Rs 5-lakh, GSACS has to get the NACO permission. But he has

given Rs 14-lakh order to one vendor,” she said.

There are various allegations but another one is that GSACS has not yet paid the

funds to the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) combating HIV in Goa. The

outreach workers were not given a salary of Rs 1500, whereas the accounts

section was clearing the cheques of these (umbrella) vendors, she said.

When contacted, Dr Kanekar rubbished all allegations as very false.

He said all files are available with him and can be scrutinised for wrongdoings.

He said the amount involved in the umbrellas was not Rs 14-lakh but only Rs

7-lakh, that the order was given before he took charge and he only made the

payment.

He also blamed Ms Bakshi of instigating NGOs and spoiling the ‘whole atmosphere

in the office. Dr Kanekar said she was demanding a sum of Rs 1-lakh for a

programme during the visit of Miss Universe to Goa and that he vetoed it due to

reasons of audit.

Ms Bakshi has written that her own termination came about when she refused to

heed the Directors instructions to nullify the minutes of a meeting chaired by

the Health Secretary. She said the Health Secretary suggested that awareness

camps should be held in various colleges and that Rs 5000 would be spent for

each camp.

When the Project Director asked her to make the minutes of the meeting null and

void, she refused and was served the termination letter.

“A person working in the field of HIV/AIDS needs certain sensitivity in him.

Most of the times, our Project Director is playing crosswords and watching

television in the office cabin,” she alleged.

____________________

Warm regards,

Jaffer Inamdar

" PLF - GOA " POSITIVE LIVES FOUNDATION

e-mail: <poslivesfoundation@...>