CBI has registered a corruption case against former chairman and managing director of Heavy Engineering Corporation Ltd (HECL) Avijit Ghosh, officials said on Monday. Ghosh has been booked for alleged irregularities in setting up a centre of excellence for skill development in collaboration with CNIITMASH, a joint stock company of Russia, they said.
The agency has alleged that Ghosh and others entered into a criminal conspiracy with CNIITMASH during 2015-19 with intention to cheat government exchequer by floating manipulated Expression of Interest.
The CBI, which registered an FIR under IPC section of criminal conspiracy and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act after a year-long preliminary enquiry, said that the Centre had launched a scheme in November 2014 with an objective to boost Indian economy by making the Indian Capital Goods Sector globally competitive.
Under the scheme, the government had to facilitate grant-in-aid to the industries which would form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) as not for profit companies, societies, trust for setting up of Common Engineering Facility Centre (CEFC), the officials said.
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According to the scheme, the Centre had to provide one-time grant-in-aid up to 80 per cent of the project cost with a cap of Rs 48.96 crore for two CEFCs while balance 20 per cent required to be invested by the SPV, the FIR said.
The HECL floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) for