The Hindu : `Secret fund' issue rocks J&K council

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 13, 2003

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`Secret fund' issue rocks J&K council

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR JUNE 12. The issue of "secret funds" today rocked the Legislative Council, as for the first time in 13 years, the Government admitted that crores of rupees had been spent on a "secret fund" for the police. A whopping amount of Rs. 32.35 crores was spent from 1996 to 2003, the Council was told.

Replying to a question by Tariq Hamid Karra of People's Democratic Party, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, A.R. Veeri, said a sum of Rs. 135 lakhs was spent on the fund in 1996 and Rs. 600 lakhs each in successive years till 2002-2003. He said the Director-General of Police and other top officials spent the amount for ``operational purposes in public interest''. Another PDP MLA, Ghulam Nabi Lone, who raised the question on behalf of Mr. Karra, said the reply was vague and insisted that the names of all the officers who had taken money under this account head be given. "Here every issue is being covered under the garb of secrecy,'' he observed and said the reply was not satisfactory. He alleged that there was no accountability in such matters. Mr. Veeri, however, said that details could not be given as the fund was secret.

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`Secret fund' issue rocks J&K council