Fake voters, deserted hamlets testify official nepotism
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: September 12, 2022 -
IT'S not surprising that 67,844 adult franchisees were found to be either erroneously enrolled into the electoral roll or turned out to the fake voters during the electoral verification programme if one takes note of the past reports about detection of ghost villages, unscrupulous elements enjoying pension benefits when separate verification processes were conducted and periodical instances of impounding fake driving license and aadhaar cards.
As per a twitter post of chief minister N Biren, the electoral verification programme resulted in identification and removal of 67,844 voters, on the ground that these individuals weren't able to produce relevant documents to assert their rights for continuation of exercising their democratic rights.
Frustration of the chief minister over detection of such a large number of dubious electors found enrolled in the electoral roll has been summed up from his twitter write-up: "If we are not sincere enough and don't have a sense of belongingness and care with ownership, unrest will prevail in our state".
Even more disturbing aspect of the CM's disclosure is that out of the 67,844 voters, a total of 24,636 electors were scrapped from one district alone while 282 deserted hamlets have been singled out and the same recommended to the Union government for prohibition from availing the benefits of MGNRECS programme.
By stating that 'government of Manipur will not remain silent on any unjust deed or act', the chief minister has not only made it clear that he is utterly agitated by such glaring example of gross negligence of duty but commitment and sincerity of the officials concerned are also under his close watch.
Such startling revelations by none other than the chief minister himself deepen the public's suspicion that officials and personnel tasked to work at the ground level haven't been dispensing their assigned duties in the right earnest but simply compiling the data from within the comfort of their office rooms.
Had these officials cared to make spot visits and recorded relevant details through physical verification, be they be voters or beneficiaries of government-sponsored welfare schemes and projects, then it is obvious that entries of false information could have been averted.
To recall few instances of official callousness and nepotism, back in 2018 there was official confirmation about 136 villages in Chakpikarong sub-division of Chandel district not traceable though the same villages were earlier enlisted as human settlement areas while in the same year the then Social Welfare commissioner Jacintha Lazarus disclosed that 7038 people out of over 65,000 enlisted for availing monthly financial assistance under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension scheme were found to be fake.
As such, the CM's revelation on fake voters and nearly 300 deserted hamlets coupled with the past reports of ghost villages and false pensioners validate the public's apprehension about widespread irregularities in various government institutions.
While it is possible that the officials were under duress from the political class, possibility of false information or data deliberately planted to derive financial gains by dishonest officials could not be ruled out.
In case punitive action is not initiated against those found guilty then it is obvious more such fake cases would crop up and those officials who are serving diligently would be clubbed with the corrupt ones.
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