Unaccounted foreign donations shut Pudukottai orphanage

An orphanage was sealed by revenue officials on charges of cheating  at Gandhrvakkottai, on Thursday evening. The orphanage had allegedly failed to produce expenditure vouchers to the revenue department officials for the foreign donations it received over an extended period.

Sources said, a team of officials convened by Collector C Manoharan and led by Shanthi, Adi Dravidar welfare officer of Pudukkottai district, Sundar, district probationary officer, Chidambaram, district backward class welfare officer, Lily Francis and Thangam Moorthy, members of child welfare committee and Mookaiyah, accounts officer of the district, made an inspection at Lady Lyn Joyful Home on Thursday.

The Home has been providing education to poor and the Dalits. During the inspection, the team found the Home officials were unable to come up with proper answers when questioned about the foreign donations it received, which was largely sponsored by a British financier Evelyn de Rothschild and his wife Lady Lynn.

The couple had sent about USD 390,000 since 2004 to the orphanage for the benefit of the students in the home.

It is said, the orphanage failed to produce the expenditure voucher against the foreign donation, which was collected by them.

Later  Selva Kumari, tahsildar of Ghandharvakkottai, sealed the home in the evening, which is spread over two acres with an estimated value of more than Rs 2 crore.

The students were shifted to a Government hostel at Gandharvakkottai and Komarpuram.

Meanwhile, officials on condition of anonymity, said that district Collector convened the enquiry committee over the particular home as per the instructions of the secretary of the social welfare department, following The New Indian Express news item which was published on October 26.

Based on a complaint by the donors, Gandharvakkottai police filed a case against  Pitchairaj, the founder of the home. Pitchairaj was not available for comments.