T V Prashanthan not a government employee, no plans to make him permanent: Health Minister Veena George

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister Veena George clarified today that TV Prashanthan is not currently a government official and is an ordinary employee at Pariyaram Medical College. The minister emphasized that Prashanthan has not been made a permanent government employee and there are no plans to do so. She also stated that it remains unclear whether Prashanthan himself applied for the position in question.

The matter will be investigated by the Principal Secretary of Health, with legal steps to follow based on the findings.

"Naveen Babu, the former ADM, is someone I have known for a long time. He is a person of great integrity, never one to tell a lie and I have known him since his student days. However, TV Prashanthan is not a government employee and if he is found to be working on a contract basis, his services will be terminated. Any legal action requires concrete evidence and we are in the process of gathering it. We will seek legal advice today. Prashanthan is no longer in service and there is no intention of making him permanent," the minister clarified to the media.

TV Prasanthan, who applied for the license, had revealed the other day that he paid a bribe of Rs 98,500 to the deceased Naveen Babu. The minimum cost to start a petrol pump is around 2 crores. An investigation under Section 13-B of the Prevention of Corruption Act can be conducted to find out the financial source of Prashanthan, a regular employee of Pariyaram Medical College. The offense under the PC Act is one of the scheduled offenses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The department said the ED should investigate the role of anyone who assists in the commission of an offense under the PC Act.