The State government has suspended Raghu G.P., a former financial adviser to the Department of Medical Education, over alleged irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits and other essential equipment during COVID-19.
Transparency Act
Mr. Raghu, who was financial adviser at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru at the time of his suspension, was found to have violated norms outlined in the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, according to the Government Order (GO) issued on Monday.
The GO cited dereliction of duty, as revealed in a report submitted by a committee that probed the procurement discrepancies during the pandemic.
The official order stated: “Upon review of the investigation report dated 27.12.2023, it is clear that tender procurement rules were violated while purchasing PPE kits and other equipment by the Directorate of Medical Education.” The report highlighted various alleged irregularities committed by Mr. Raghu during his service.
Report
The inquiry panel was headed by former High Court judge John Michael D’Cunha, who submitted a report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on August 31.
This inquiry was initiated after corruption allegations emerged over procurement of medical supplies; K. Sudhakar was the Health Minister under the then BJP government, headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Published - October 07, 2024 10:08 pm IST
