Date: 
25.07.2010

Former BJD minister and now senior Congress leader, Kamala Das was on Saturday convicted in Rs 2 crore iron fortified salt scam that had rocked the state in 2001.

Das, then women and child development minister in the Naveen Patnaik government, was removed from the Cabinet after she was accused of supplying sub-standard salt to Anganwadi centres of the state. She and two other ministers were the first to be dropped by Naveen as they came “under the shadow of corruption”. The Special Vigilance Court in Cuttack on Saturday sentenced Das to 2 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000. The owner of a private firm which supplied the salt to the Anganwadi centres was also convicted. Vigilance officials said Das was convicted under section 120-B of the IPC and 13(1) D and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. But Das was granted bail soon after the order was passed.

In 2001, several district collectors had complained that the iron fortified salt being supplied to the Anganwadi centres proved ineffective against anemia. The then departmental secretary Alka Panda had given adverse reports too. However, Das ignored the recommendations and gave the order to the private firm.

City: 
BHUBANESWAR
Source url: 
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/former-orissa-minister-convicted-in-salt-sca/651315/
Author: 
Debabrata Mohanty
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