The worst Indian scams: In pictures
We do a total recall on some of the worst scams that plagued and tainted India since Independence
Reuters
Fodder scam (1996)
Crores of rupees were billed to provide cattle feed, etc, to ‘fictitious livestock’. The scam broke out in 1996, when animal husbandry department misused Rs 950 crore meant for purchasing fodder and medicines in Bihar. Then Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav was forced to resign.
Reuters
2G spectrum scam (2008)
2G spectrum scam involved politicians and bureaucracy undercharging mobile telephony firms for allocating frequency licences. The shortfall between the amount collected and the amount that was supposed to be collected was Rs 1,76,000 crore, according to Comptroller & Auditor General of India. In 2008, 122 new second-generation (2G) licences were given by then Union telecommunications minister A Raja to companies at a price arrived at in 2001 and on a first-come-first-served basis.
Reuters
Coalgate scam (2004-09)
Coalgate is a scam in which Comptroller & Auditor General of India has accused government of allocating, and not auctioning, coal blocks to firms without the recommendation of appropriate agencies for mining coal from 2004 to 2009. CAG has said the allocation of coal blocks caused losses to the tune of Rs 1.86,000 crore.
Reuters
The Commonwealth Games scam involved large-scale misappropriation of money during the preparatory phase and conduct of 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi. The total value of the scam was estimated at 70,000 crore. The scam involved politicians, bureaucrats and corporates. Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of Games’ organising committee, was the main accused.
Reuters
It was also referred to as India’s Watergate. Indian government and AB Bofors of Sweden inked a contract in 1986 for supplying 155mm howitzer guns to Indian army. A year later, the Swedish radio alleged Bofors paid Rs 64 crore as kickbacks to politicians and defence officials to close the deal.
Reuters
Bharat Earth Movers Ltd collaborated with Czech firm Tatra Vectra Motors to produce 7,000 all-terrain trucks for the Army. Top officials from BEML and the defence ministry have allegedly siphoned off Rs 750 crore in bribes and commissions for purchasing components for Tatra trucks.
PTI
Former ISRO chairman and three other scientists were responsible for a deal between Indian Space Research Organisation’s commercial arm Antrix Corporation and Devas Multimedia in 2011. CAG report found the department of space violated rules in approving the agreement. CAG also said the deal caused a loss of Rs 200,000 crore to the government.
Reuters
Ketan Parekh, a stock broker, used Unit Trust of India and Calcutta Stock Exchange to con investors. After the government bailed out UTI with Rs 4,800 crore, it bought manipulated shares from Ketan Parekh. The market crash prompted SEBI to inspect the books of several brokers, including Parekh. As hundreds went bankrupt, markets lost Rs 1,15,000 crore.
PTI
Then Karnataka Lokayukta, Santosh Hegde’s report said the chief minister and his family was guilty of receiving bribes from mining firms as well as overpricing the land they sold to firms in exchange for issuing mining leases. The government lost Rs 100,000 crore in the bargain. G Janardhana Reddy allegedly paid bribe to bag contracts for his company in Bellary.
