Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja Tuesday said an amount of Rs.5 crore had been sanctioned to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in 2009 in two installments.

“An amount of Rs.5 crore was sanctioned to NMML in two installments. The first installment of Rs.3.30 crore was paid on March 25, 2009 and the second installment of Rs.1.70 crore on March 31, 2009,” the minister said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

“There existed a standard clause in the sanction orders under which funds sanctioned could not be diverted to any organisation,” she said when asked whether the funds had been diverted.

The minister said that the request for the grant to meet the needs of the Selected Works Project was received from Director of the library Sep 30, 2008 after a decision of the executive council of NMML in a meeting held April 10, 2008 where it was agreed in principle to take over the publication of the “Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru” from the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF).

Selja said prior to sanctioning the money, a decision had been taken that the project regarding publication of “Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru” will continue to be handled by Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund.

However, no communication to this effect was received by the ministry from NMML prior to the issue of the sanction orders.

She said an objection about the project was raised by the Internal Audit Party of the culture ministry which conducted “Performance Evaluation of NMML” between Jan 18 and February 2010.

But the museum clarified that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund would continue to publish selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru.