Invest UP CEO suspended over ‘irregularities’ in solar project; middleman nabbed | India News

LUCKNOW: Abhishek Prakash, CEO of Invest UP and former district magistrate of Lucknow, was suspended Thursday following charges of irregularities in the evaluation process for a proposed solar manufacturing project in the state. Also, the city police Thursday arrested a middleman on the charge of demanding a bribe for the approval of the solar project, at the behest of a senior official of Invest UP.
The charges against Prakash, a 2006-batch IAS officer, were investigated and have been, prima facie, found to be true, a govt press release said. The inquiry concluded that his conduct could hinder objectives of the UP Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy 2022, damaging investor confidence and tarnishing the state’s image as an investment-friendly destination, the press release added.
Sources in the govt said the chief minister’s office (CMO) directed aprobe into the case after receiving a complaint. In the complaint, Vishwajit Datta of SAEL Solar P6 Pvt Ltd wrote to the CMO on March 20 stating that his firm wanted to set up a manufacturing unit for solar cells and solar powerrelated parts in UP. He further stated that officials at Invest UP demanded 5% of the project cost to clear the proposal, which he refused to pay.
The complainant said their application was submitted to both Invest UP and online. However, before the application was presented to the evaluation committee, a “senior official in Invest UP” gave him the number of one Nikant Jain and told him if Jain recommended his project, it would be cleared immediately by the evaluation panel and state cabinet. Jain then made a demand of 5% of the project cost as commission and asked for the amount in cash in advance, a demand Datta said he rejected. Though the project went on to receive approval by the evaluation committee, it was not finally cleared. Datta stated in his complaint that Jain again told him that only he could help get this project cleared. Police arrested Jain Thursday.