KEONICS vendors write to President Murmu seeking permission for euthanasia

PTI, Jan 15, 2025, 8:10 AM IST

Logo of KEONICS

Bengaluru: The empanelled vendors of the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) have alleged that the non-payment of their due bills is making their lives miserable.

However, the Karnataka Information Technology and Biotechnology Minister Priyank Kharge rejected the charges.

In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, the vendors even requested her to grant permission for mercy killing to get rid of “harassment”.

“We are tired of being harassed due to the non-payment of our due bills which is affecting more than 6,000 families working with KEONICS. We are seeking your permission for euthanasia. We all want to die at once,” the KEONICS Empanelled Vendors’ Welfare Association said in their letter to Murmu.

They said more than 450 to 500 small entrepreneurs are registered as vendors in the corporation and are working with KEONICS.

Along with providing electronic services, the corporation also works as a link between vendors and various departments of the state government for providing human resource services and other purchases.

“For decades, KEONICS has maintained a good relationship with vendors, but suddenly in 2023, as soon as the government changed, they started withholding the bills of vendors and harassing them in various ways,” the association alleged.

The association also alleged that they were asked to pay a bribe of 12 per cent. Since the vendors refused to pay the bribe, they are being “harassed”, it added.

The BJP targeted Kharge, alleging that he was corrupt and compelling the vendors to write to the President for euthanasia.

Dismissing the allegations, Kharge also took a dig at the BJP for targeting him for the alleged corruption in his department.

“Do you (BJP) seriously expect our government to clear payments to vendors who were involved in irregularities during your tenure? Have you forgotten the Accountant General’s audit findings, which flagged over Rs 300 crore worth of misappropriations by KEONICS under your government?” Kharge said in a post on ‘X’.

According to Kharge, some of the glaring audit observations were payments made without conducting third-party inspections.

Payments were based on forged third-party inspection reports for material supplies, fake bills, bill claims for software that were never installed, yet payments were made and fraudulent and excessive claims by vendors, including payments for unsupplied CCTVs, Kharge said.

“And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The corruption and mismanagement under your administration ran deep which and is being investigated. Why are you in such a hurry to go behind bars?” “Instead of questioning me, why not direct your questions to the then IT Minister and the Chief Minister from your own party? I am sure they would have all the answers,” he said.

Kharge said payments to vendors who have not been involved in any malpractice will be processed based on the recommendations of the fact-finding committee.