Imphal, July 10 2009: Irregularity in the selection of the beneficiaries and remaking of list of the beneficiaries of the Indira Awaj Yojna (IAY) detected at Thoubal Laishangthem Gram Panchayat in Thoubal district.

Sources said that for the Thoubal Laishangthem Gram Panchayat, five persons are to be selected for giving grant in aid under the IAY.

Out of the five beneficiaries, for two persons, new houses are to be constructed with Rs.35,000 grant while that of remaining three beneficiaries, Rs 15,000 for repairing their houses.

Two persons included in the beneficiaries list who will get Rs 35,000 are Takyenjam Shyam and Takeyenjam Iboton while those beneficiaries who are to get Rs 15,000 are Leishangthem Kumar, Yengokhom ongbi Prema and Mayengbam Noyonsana.

However, the pradhan of the Leishangthem Gram Panchayat informed the members of the gram panchayat that only four beneficiaries selected from the gram panchayat for availing grant under the scheme.

He also allegedly remade the name of the beneficiaries and informed the members the names of the beneficiaries as Takyenjam ongbi Chaoba, Takyenjam Iboton, Leishangthem Kumar and Th Birahari.

Following the finding of wrong insertion of the names of the beneficiaries, a meeting of the gram panchayat held around two months back decided to increase the number of beneficiaries from four to eight.

All members who attended the meeting agreed in hiking the number of beneficiaries.

But, only Rs 1.15 lakh mean for payment of grant to the beneficiaries entered to the account of the pradhan.

When the gram panchayat decided to distribute the funds equally to the eight beneficiaries, the four persons who were in the official list has objected.

In this regard, president of the youth Welfare Association, Leishangthem, N Robindro said, out of the total amount of Rs 1.15 lakh in the account of the pradhan, he had withdrawn Rs 95,450 to buy GI sheet and distributed three bhals each to the eight beneficiaries.

In buying the GI sheet, the prandhan spend Rs 40,800 and the remaining amount has been allegedly siphoned by him.

But, then villagers and local clubs lodged complaint, the pradhan has remained stick to his decision stating that he can't do anything with the matter.

Robindro further said that if the total amount Rs 1.15 lakh is distributed equally, a beneficiary has to get around Rs 14,000 while the GI sheet distributed to the beneficiaries is of around Rs 5,000 .

He also drew the attention of the government authorities in the erupting controversy.

Meanwhile, up-pradhan of the Leishangthem gram panchayat, Huidrom Inaomacha said, members of the GP were not involved in the implementation in the utilization of the funds from the IAY.

He also informed, Hueyen Lanpao that the pradhan warned them not to interfere in the selection and payment of grant to the beneficiaries stating that he had spend huge amount of money to become pradhan.

With regard to the matter, pradhan, Takyenjam Chaoba said that under the IAY scheme for 2008-09, a fund amounting to Rs 1.15 lakh is to be received by the GP but the entire amount is yet to enter to his account.

So far, he had utilized around Rs 80,000.There comes up so many disturbances in implementing schemes by the gram panchayat, he added.

But he did not give satisfactory reply to the charge level on him.

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