After AI camera, Cong raises corruption charges against govt’s KFON project.

The opposition Congress party in Kerala has accused the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of corruption in the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) scheme, which aimed to provide free internet to low-income families. The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, V D Satheesan, alleged that the KFON project, which was launched in 2017, had awarded sub-contracts in violation of rules and that Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which led the consortium of companies awarded the contract, was given an excess tender amount of INR 520 crore ($70 million) more than the actual estimate. Satheesan claimed that the corruption involved in the KFON project was more significant than that in the AI camera deal and that the same companies were involved in both projects. The Congress-led UDF has previously accused the LDF government of corruption in the ‘Safe Kerala’ project, which involved installing AI cameras to reduce traffic violations and road accidents in the state.