Chairman Tawadkar blows the trumpet of fraud against Minister Gaudet over spending money on cultural organizations
Ramesh Tawadkar said panchayat members of three village panchayats in Canacona had accused cultural organizations of fraudulently obtaining funds of Rs 26.85 billion from the Directorate of Arts and Culture for programs, which were never disbursed. He claimed that he had not done so.
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PANJIM: In a surprising turn of events, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday pointed out the suspicions of Canacona panchayat members and accused Arts and Culture Minister Govind Goud of being involved in misappropriation of funds in program disbursements to cultural organizations. . He demanded an investigation into the matter.
Canacona MLA Tawadkar told reporters in Porvorim that members of the panchayats of three villages in Canacona taluka – Shristhal, Kotigao and Gaondonglem – said that some organizations had received funds worth Rs 26.85 million from Canada. He pointed out that he claims that he obtained it illegally. The General Directorate of Arts and Culture held a cultural program, but claimed it never took place.
He said panchayat members were not aware of the program and it needs to be investigated. He said the village panchayat had submitted a representation on Friday to him and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant seeking a detailed probe into the siphoning of government funds.
Mr. Tawadkar said, “It is regrettable that a minister in our government is acting irresponsibly and not following protocol. This is my first experience. Such a thing should never happen.”
Tawadkar said he had briefed the chief minister in the chamber and told him that such a thing was unacceptable.
“The most shocking thing was that the program was aired in an organized manner during the monsoon. I am from the same village, but I did not receive an invitation and the program was not held so I did not know about it. It was.”
“I don’t know what the minister’s intentions are, but I have asked the Director General of Arts and Culture for a detailed report. The funds were released to two organizations that are from the same family,” Tawadkar said, adding, “This is the minister’s This cannot happen without permission,” he added.
Tawatkar renewed his demand for a detailed probe into the siphoning of funds and said he would raise the issue at a party forum.
Members of three village panchayats in Canacona taluka on Thursday demanded an inquiry into the alleged siphoning of funds belonging to the Directorate of Arts and Culture.
They said funds were siphoned off for three programs that were not held in the village. Why can he hold three cultural programs in one day in the same district?
Meanwhile, Arts and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said he would launch an inquiry into the matter. Mr Gaudet insisted on transparency in his work, saying: “It is unfortunate that the Speaker has chosen Parliament to make the accusations against me.”
“For the past seven years, I have said that it is my duty to honor artists,” Gord said. “The purpose of the funding is to promote local artists. They should understand. They probably didn’t understand the scheme, which is very simple. Any individual or any institution can apply for this.”
“The government’s plan is not framed with the interests of any political party in mind. It is for the common man. This process is clean, systematic and transparent. If anyone has a grudge against me If so, they should raise the issue on the right platform. I have been with the Bharatiya Janata Party since 1994. Perhaps someone was not happy with the development of the arts and culture sector, so the suspicions were raised against me. I think it was brought up,” Gord added.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are calling for a free and fair investigation into the incident and demanding the immediate resignation of Arts and Culture Minister Govind Gaude.
Opposition leader Yuri Alemao posted on X: “On the day Governor @psspilaigov praised the @BJP4Goa government for its tolerance towards corruption, minutes later the governor praised the @BJP4Goa government.” Speaker @ramesh_tawadkar has published a scam accusing Minister of Arts and Culture @Govind_Gaude. Do we need to say anything more about corruption and fraud?”
Demanding the minister’s resignation, Goa Forward Party leader and MLA Vijay Sardesai posted on ‘X’ ‘Honorable Congress President @ramesh_tawadkar’s accusations of fraud in the Ministry of Arts and Culture and misappropriation of funds by the minister.’ It must be viewed with the utmost seriousness and the attention it deserves. I’ve raised this issue many times before to no avail, so I’ll defend myself. ”
“@GovtofGoa must immediately launch a comprehensive and independent investigation into this matter. With such scathing comments from the Speaker’s authority, the Minister’s position is no longer tenable and I am We demand that the minister resign and face an investigation,” Sardesai said.