The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched 25 sites in Rajasthan on Friday as part of its money laundering probe into the execution of the Center’s “Jal Jeevan Mission” in the state before the elections. The Additional Chief Secretary’s office in the Public Health Engineering Department, Subodh Agarwal, is one of the locations targeted by the raids in the Congress-ruled state of Jaipur and Dausa. The locations of some engineers, contractors, and former state officials who are thought to be connected to the case are also being investigated. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act’s (PMLA) guidelines are being followed when conducting the searches. Similar raids were also conducted by the Enforcement Directorate in a number of Rajasthani cities on September 1.
ED’s money laundering case is based on a First Information Report earlier registered by Rajasthan Police.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena had in June this year alleged a scam of Rs 20,000 crore in the implementation of the Central government’s ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in Rajasthan.
He had alleged that tenders worth Rs 900 crore were issued to two firms based on fake experience certificates in 48 projects of the scheme.
The ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and is being implemented by the Rajasthan Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
Meanwhile, last month, ED also conducted raids at the residences of state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasara in the capital Jaipur and Sikar. Moreover, state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot, was also summoned for questioning in a Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case.
