The DECA project, begun in 1979 was set up to provide Prem Rawat with a customized Boeing 707 for his personal use. As an adjunct to the ashram system, DECA was reliant on unpaid labour and donated funds; the business model that developed within DECA served as the basis for subsequent projects designed to benefit Prem Rawat.
In 1979 the acquisition and customization of a Boeing 707 for Prem Rawat's exclusive use became a dominant drive within the then Divine Light Mission. A 1961 vintage aircraft was acquired for US$1 million from an American Football Team. A business operation called the DECA Project and based in Florida was set up and ashram residents were drafted in to all aspects of work on the plane itself as well as project management and, most significantly - fund raising.
Like other expansive projects undertaken by Rawat's followers, DECA had no beneficial impact on the Rawat movement or its participants, however DECA did provide a model for income generation which was free of the costs and other considerations of the ashram system. Although dependant on the ashrams for its existence, DECA, or at least the funding expertise that it generated, can be seen as the development which allowed Rawat to dissolve the costly ashram system in 1982 and 1983, and to still maintain an income flow to his organizations.
Within the DECA facility a range of activities took place that were focussed on Prem Rawat's interests - servicing of his Rolls Royces was undertaken there. The financial structure seems to have lacked commonly expected controls and there have been accusations of inadequate and illegal work practices.
Work on the Boeing 707 was completed in 1980 but the plane was never put into service for Prem Rawat and was sold to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who had it flown to Malaysia where it rapidly fell into disuse because its emissions exceeded legal limits.
The DECA business sought development as a corporate jet customization operation but proved unviable and was soon sold, being renamed Aircraft Modular Products(AMP). Some of Prem Rawat's followers gained employment with AMP but the company had no other links with Rawat or his organizations. AMP prospered and was sold in 1998 by it's then owner Roger Koch for over US$ 100 million.
It is unclear what happened to the receipts from the sale of the Boeing 707 and the DECA business. There appears to have been a chronic incapacity within Divine Light Mission to protect either its interests as a charity or the interests of those who voluntarily assisted it. Numerous business operations started by Prem Rawat's followers seem to have become absorbed into a quasi corporate structure ostensibly to the benefit of Divine Light Mission, only to be 'demerged' to the sole benefit of subsequent owners.
This was written by Cynthia Gracie, who worked as Prem Rawat's secretary at DECA, and whose duties included cleraning his personal toilet:
"I spent a great deal of time with Prem Rawat personally in 1979 through 1980. This was during a period of time when Prem Rawat was known as "Guru Maharaj Ji" and I lived in an ashram in Miami Beach, Florida.
The project I worked on was a shell corporation called "DECA" and it had no real employees or safety guidelines. There was no payroll except for the few staff members who happened to be married. Because of Prem Rawat's greed and desire to have a jet aircraft of his own, he created this bizarre project and hundreds of his followers were called from all over the world to work for free. Many got very ill from chemical exposure and from sheer exhaustion.
Some followers were exposed to a toxic soup of chemicals without any protection. Some spent ten+ years afterwards without any acknowledgement or financial assistance from Prem Rawat for their health care. So many abuses took place during that project and within the "premie" (hindi for "lover of truth") communities there was great pressure for devotees to donate large sums of money during that time. Some people mortgaged their homes, some took out loans, and the rest of us worked in Florida for no pay. Millions and millions of dollars when into that project and Prem Rawat never even liked the B707 that was completely reconfigured inside and out by his devotees. He sold it! Now he has Gulfstream V (information accurate at time of writing), the best private jet available on the market. A $40 million+ jet that is provided for his exclusive use because he always wanted to be a pilot and now is one."
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