Friday, July 28, 2017

RTI reveals anomalies in 3 deptts.

Nagaland Post: Dimapur: Friday, July 28, 2017.
Replies to RTI indicated that there has been huge anomalies in three departments-School Education, Social Welfare and Food & Civil Supplies- estimated at several hundreds crore rupees.
This was disclosed in a synopsis of a PIL filed by RTI activists S.T. Yapang Longkumer and Odi Jamir at the Gauhati High Court Kohima Bench on July 25, 2017. The petitioners termed the anomalies as massive misappropriation of funds during the past several months.
 The petitioners stated that in response to RTI from the Finance department on June 15,2017 , it was brought to light that the department’s Budget and Monitoring Cell (B&MC) had issued 73 Drawal Authority/s (DA) to the School Education department from 21.04.2016 to 31.03.2017 under demand no. 31. The petitioners claimed that among the 73 DAs, some 23 appeared to be serious anomalies, from which a whopping amount of Rs. 248.67 crore was drawn from 21.04.2016 to 31.03.2017 purportedly for the purpose of construction of school buildings, SSA & RMSA salaries, payment of scholarships.
Further, the petitioners pointed out that the Social Welfare department had drawn an amount of Rs. 222.49 crore within 10 months for the purpose of clearance of liabilities under wheat and nutrition programme, construction of park for persons with disabilities in Kohima, orphanages, children homes, observation & shelter homes etc., purchase of food items under SNP, payment of pensions to beneficiaries and blind persons.
With regard to Food and Civil Supplies department, the petitioners said that upon detail examination and perusal of the documents furnished by the Finance department, it was revealed that the B&MC had issued 17 DAs to the Civil Supplies department from 02.06.2016 to 17.07.2016 under Demand No. 22. Amongst the 17 DAs, the petitioners said four appeared to have had serious anomalies where Rs. 12.55 crores were drawn from 21.04.2016 to 31.03.2017 for the purpose of printing of ration cards, transportation handling charges of food grains of additional BPL, AAY rice for beneficiaries.
The petitioners alleged that the amounts drawn by the departments were never used judiciously for the purpose of progressive and genuine welfare activities of the citizens. Maintaining that amounts may have been allegedly siphoned off, the petitioners appealed to the Court direct the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the anomalies.