Kollam: The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation, which is facing allegations of corruption worth Rs 500 crore, has violated a government order on calling e-tenders for doing business above Rs 25 lakh. It has floated a paper tender sabotaging the e-tender facility implemented to curb corruption.
The KSCDC published advertisements in major newspapers last week calling for tender to sell over 2,000 tonnes of cashew worth crores of rupees. This is in violation of the submission made by the principal secretary to the government (industries) before the court that the corporation was following the government order on e-tendering. However, no action has been taken against the persons responsible for this gross violation. The government order on e-tendering aims at attracting global investors while paper tender lends itself to manipulation by vested interests.
“The order by the state government to curb corruption has been ignored proving that high- level employees with the industries department are involved in the deal,” said anti-corruption crusader Kadakampally Manoj.
As per the report by the state finance department in 2013-24, the KSCDC was selling cashew at Rs. 300- 400 below the rate fixed by Capex, another-state owned society for cashew. Over 2,000 tonnes are being produced from 30 cashew processing factories owned by the KSCDC which incurs losses worth lakhs of rupees per day.
