Imphal, October 23: In yet another case of controversial withdrawal the finance Department had granted special encashment permission to the Tribal Development Department to the tune of Rs 6.40 crores.

When queried some hill district MLAs expressing surprise at the withdrawal of the huge amount also claimed that no development activities had been taken up in the hills including those enlisted in the work schedules.

According to a highly placed source, the Tribal Development Department had submitted the proposal for fund allocation under 16 separate heads of account in a single file for the 2004-05 session.

The amount is said to have been withdrawn during the intervening period of Ministry down-sizing process and distribution of portfolios.

For the record, the source revealed of an Under Secretary (Finance) approving the special encashment permission in July 31 this year (memo no 7/8/2004-FR (14).The nature of withdrawal tantamount to hasty clearance of procedure as approval for withdrawing such huge sum covering various schemes without much classification is rarely practised in the past.

The TD Department had submitted the proposal containing 16 separate items in a single file on June 24 which the Finance Department issued the clearance concerning the different schemes.

The withdrawn amount pertains to projects likes implementation of housing schemes (procurement of GCI sheets for distribution to deserving ST family) - Rs 27 lakhs; financial assistance to Manipur Tribal Development Corporation Ltd for payment of due wages/salaries of the staff - Rs 52 lakhs; cost of construction of TD�s Senapati district office and miscellaneous - Rs 10 lakhs; implementation of animal husbandry development programmes - Rs 20 lakhs; implementation of communication infrastructure development programme under Special Development Programmes - Rs 230 lakhs; Provision of reliefs to tribal victims (procurement and distribution) - Rs 20 lakhs; procurement of sports materials for youth clubs - Rs 18 lakhs; infrastructure provision and upgradation of vocational training centres - Rs 40 lakhs; committed liabilities for financial assistance to tribal authors/writers - Rs 26 lakhs; assistance in treatment of ST people - Rs 20 lakhs; purchase of stationery items for planning/monitoring and evaluation cells of concerned department - Rs 2.82 lakhs; implementation of development for the Maram primitive tribe - Rs 18 lakhs; implementation of the village and small industries programmes - Rs 37 lakhs; and implementation of water supply programmes - Rs 37 lakhs.

When the withdrawn amount, that constitute about 2/3 of the 2225 major heads enlisted in annual budgetary outlay, was placed before some tribal Ministers and MLAs they confessed of being unable to digest from where development fund could be procured for execution of welfare schemes for the remaining eight months of the current fiscal.

As the said amount was withdrawn in the first four months (April-July) of the fiscal year it would be an uphill task to seek for more funding for plan welfare/development works of the SC/ST and OBC section of the society, the legislators maintained.

Another source revealed of intense investigation being undertaken soon after Phungzathang Tonsing assumed charge as TD Minister to find out where the withdrawn amount had been utilized/diverted.

The tribal Ministers/MLAs assuming that of the withdrawn amount Rs 52 lakhs meant for Manipur Tribal Development Corporation Limited and another amount of Rs 20 lakhs concerning assistance for medical treatment of ST people might have been provided but the same could not be conceived as true for other sectors.

They also reminded that unlike the past practices of involving hill district MLAs in selecting beneficiaries for various welfare schemes, from 2003-04 onwards no such intimation is made to the concerned MLAs.

Under such circumstances it is highly questionable whether Rs 6.40 crores said to have been withdrawn this fiscal would be utilized sincerely.

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