Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 04 2009:
United Youth Forum, Senapati District has alleged that the fund released to the district under Indira Awaz Yojana, which is a flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Rural Development has been found to be misused by the officials.
Under the Indira Awaz Yojana, selected beneficiaries belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families are being provided financial assistance for construction or upgradation of their houses.
For construction of new houses, the beneficiaries are entitled to get Rs 38,5000 and Rs 15,000 for upgradation.
However, in Senapati district, the guidelines of the scheme have not only been flouted in the selection of the beneficiaries but the entitled financial assistance had been misused by the Deputy Commissioner of the district in connivance with some of his associates, president of Youth Forum Senapati District L Lalboi Khongsai has alleged.
Addressing a press conference in this connection at Nagaram Community Hall here today, Lalboi informed that when a survey was conducted to find out how the Indira Awaz Yojana is benefiting the people of the district it came to light that in Saikul block, selection of the beneficiaries has not been carried out in accordance to the laid down norms while many of the beneficiaries have not received the money.
He further pointed out that in the selection list of the beneficiaries for the term 2008-09 and 2009-10, names of Government employees and other fictitious persons have been detected even as the addresses of some of the selected beneficiaries given are misleading.
Moreover, the names of those in the waiting list have been excluded from the selection list of beneficiaries apart from the irregularities in selection of unmarried persons or 2/3 members of the same family and non-local residents.
Lalboi explained that for the selection of the beneficiaries under the scheme, the forms are distributed to all the village chiefs in advance and they in return submit the list of probable beneficiaries.
The names of these probable beneficiaries are to be included in the permanent wait list and they should be given preference at the time of selecting the beneficiaries.
General secretary of United Youth Forum Senapati District K Tennyson who was also present during the press conference quoted the total amount of fund misused from the Central share of the scheme for the term 2008-09 and 2009-2010 alone comes to Rs 98,83,00 .
He also conveyed that there are many widows in Senapati district who have lost their husbands during the Naga-Kuki clashes and do not have a roof over their head.
Depriving the benefit of the scheme to such people is condemnable and the Government should take up necessary action to find out the culprits.