Thiruvananthapuram: Authorities have said in reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query that they do not know who prepared the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for building the housing complex at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur.
Life Mission CEO U V Jose had signed the MoU with the UAE-based Red Crescent in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on July 11, 2019.
In a letter sent to the Life Mission in July, the Secretary of local self government department had clearly mentioned that Red Crescent prepared the MoU. However, they feign ignorance now.
The MoU also includes an Arabic translation.
As per the RTI document, CEO U V Jose came to know about the MoU when he received a letter from the Secretary only on the morning of July 11.
The Life Mission officials further said that they did not receive the minutes of this event. As part of the probe, the Enforcement Directorate officials had sought the minutes but they were told none were available. Nor is there any answer for why minutes were not prepared for such a crucial event.
As per the norms, separate contracts had to be prepared for each project after the MoU was signed. However, this did not happen, according to the Life Mission. This was because projects, which were jointly implemented, have specific terms. Also, it was pointed out that as per Article Six of the MoU, no sub-contract was needed for the project that was directly executed by the Red Crescent.
Centre too lacks clarity
The Ministry of External Affairs does not have any clear answers on the Life Mission contract and the distribution of holy books in Kerala.
Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that a probe was on and the legal aspects of the MoU were under scanner.
Meanwhile, no clear data is available on the number of Indians, who succumbed to COVID-19 abroad, the spokesperson said.
