Thiruvananthapuram: A Finance Inspection Wing report has exposed serious lapses and financial irregularities in the 'Break the Chain' campaign, a pandemic preventive initiative executed by the Social Security Mission during the COVID-19 outbreak. The report has recommended departmental action against the then-Executive Director of the Mission, Dr Mohammed Asheel. A total of ₹4.89 crore was spent on the project.

According to the report, irregularities were detected in the construction of a video conferencing room, and multiple purchases were made without following mandatory tender procedures. Crucially, the Social Security Mission had not been officially tasked with the implementation of this project. The inspection team noted it would verify whether the Social Security Mission had received any exemptions from COVID protocol guidelines. Furthermore, the report highlighted that there was no official government sanction for sanitizer production, yet permission was unauthorisedly granted to the Prison Department to manufacture it without a license.

The report points out that the Social Security Mission's activities were carried out without government approval. It details violations including the procurement of kiosks worth ₹30 lakh against established norms, as well as clear rule breaches in the manufacturing and distribution of hand sanitizers. There is also a distinct lack of clarity regarding the actual expenditures; a majority of the financial records submitted were handwritten documents lacking mandatory GST details.

Meanwhile, Dr Asheel claimed that a financial audit had been duly conducted. However, he failed to produce supporting documents alongside his explanation. The Finance Inspection Wing concluded that his response was entirely unsatisfactory.