Maharashtra OBC Welfare Minister
Vijay Wadettiwar on Tuesday said the investigation into alleged irregularities at the Pune-based 'SARTHI' institute has been completed and action will be initiated once the probe report is properly studied.
He was responding to a discussion on the issue raised through a Calling Attention notice by NCP legislator Satish Chavan in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
The Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) is a non-profit government body for research, policy advocacy and training for socio-economic and education development of Maratha and Kunbi-Maratha communities.
The institute is registered under the Companies Act.
Following reports of irregularities, the Maharashtra government earlier appointed a one-member committee under Relief and Rehabilitation Secretary Kishor Raje-Nimbalkar to carry out an inquiry.
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When the issue was raised in the Council, Wadettiwar said, "IAS officer Sitaram Kunte along with two senior state officials is carrying out a detailed study into the report submitted by Kishor Raje-Nimbalkar on alleged corruption and illegal hiring of staff in SARTHI. Once the report is out, we will take appropriate action on it."
The institute was set up in Pune by the previous BJP- led state government.
"It was principally a wrong move to register SARTHI under the Companies Act. We are now correcting the mistakes of the previous government," Wadettiwar said.
The minister also said another problem faced by SARTHI was from its previous managing director D R Parihar.
"His behaviour was unacceptable. He even refused to inform the state government that SARTHI's chairman had resigned," Wadettiwar said.
Despite the government's directives, Parihar had hired some 80 people on outsource basis. It was a violation of government norms, he added.
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