Thiruvananthapuram: Former agriculture director Ashok Kumar Thekkan whom agriculture minister V. S. Sunil Kumar sacked on July 28, has now got a much more prestigious post as the director of the project planning and monitoring (PPM) cell. This cell in the agriculture department deals with fund allocation and distribution, especially central funds like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. During the previous UDF rule, a vigilance probe was initiated against him for alleged discrepancies in coconut procurement at Kerafed and importing inferior quality coconuts and selling at inflated rates here.
The government swept under the rug the vigilance recommendation for action against him, and the tainted official gave a ‘clean chit’ to himself. He was appointed by the then agriculture minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran during the previous LDF rule. When Oommen Chandy came to power in 2011, he was allowed to continue. A senior government official on condition of anonymity told DC that PPM cell deals between Rs 200 – Rs 400 crore a year. P. Rajendran who later went on to become the Kerala Agricultural University vice-chancellor had previously held the post.
“It has been a ploy of Mr Kumar to reward him suitably. Most of the top agriculture department officials, as well as those heading the PSUs, had funded the CPI candidates in the elections. So now Mr Kumar has returned the favours,” he said He had previously served as CEO of Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council and managing director of Kerala State Coconut Development Corporation Limited and Kerafed.
