Guwahati: A sum of Rs 1.1 crore from a corpus that was intended for tiger conservation was squandered for food, tents, carpets, and souvenirs during former President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Assam’s Kaziranga National Park in February 2022.
Assam-based RTI activist Rohit Choudhury submitted an RTI. The misuse of the funds was then made public.
In a letter to the state chief secretary last month, Choudhury raised the alleged fund diversion. He also noted the Kaziranga field director’s reply to the RTI petition he had submitted on May 18 that was received on November 30, 2022.
The Rs 1.1 crore was purportedly taken away from the Kaziranga Tiger Conservation Foundation, according to the office of the field director for Kaziranga. The money was used for a variety of expenses, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as for the conference center’s refurbishment, painting, accommodations in tents, and other items, including an air purifier.
He added that an additional Rs 51 lakh was taken from a general wildlife fund.
Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowari responded right away, saying his office was ‘looking into’ the alleged misappropriation of funds for conservation ever since he learned about it.