Daily Pioneer: Radhika Nagrath: Dehradun: Friday, January 19, 2018.
When both the Centre and the State Government are flaunting their achievements over making India and the State ‘Swachchh’ through pumping crores of rupees, a revelation made through Right to Information Act sounds disturbing. What is revealed is that while the benefits of a scheme meant to help the BPL families build toilets in their residences remain out of bonds for the intended beneficiaries, some who are not entitled -a few of them dead- have received them.
According to the RTI activist Adesh Kumar who had asked queries on this count said while talking to this correspondent that the gram pradhan Hasnawala village under Bhagwanpur block has mis-utilised the fund released by the State Government.
Under Swachchh Bharat Mission-Gramin, incentives for the construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) are made to all Below Poverty Line households and also for Above Poverty Line households restricted to Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes, landless labourers, physically handicapped and women-headed households. The incentive amount provided under SBM-G to BPL is up to `12,000 for the construction of one unit of IHHL along with the facility of water for storing, hand-washing and cleaning of the toilets. “It is clear from what I have received in response to my RTI query that the gram pradhan of village Hasnawala under Bhagwanpur block has misused the funds by showing signatures of fictitious figures some of whom are dead through fake signatures,” Kumar said.
He further said that he has received a list of 87 such persons who have not received any benefit under the scheme despite their names having figured in the list of the beneficiaries,” he alleged.
Citing an instance, Kumar said that Abdul Rehman who died in 2010 has been shown as one of the beneficiaries of the toilet incentive in 2011. “I can cite many other instances of such fake payments,” he claimed.
He further alleged that the wife of the gram pradhan was instrumental in manipulating things. “The illiterate persons like Kurban and Shameem, who do not know how to sign in Hindi and can put only their finger prints, have been shown as beneficiaries by showing fake signatures. They have, however, never received the amount. I lodged the complaint with Peyjal Nigam and the project director of Swajal (Peyjal and Swachchhta Samanwayak) through a letter in October 2017, testifying to the fake signatures shown to appropriate the funds. But district officials failed to take any action against the gram pradhan,” Kumar said.
However, the city development officer (CDO) Swati Bhadauria when quizzed said that they are probing the allegation. “As per the preliminary investigation, the complaint was found to have substances. The gram pradhan has been issued notices and asked to reply. In January, we sent the project director to check out things how the amount was released in the name of Abdul Rehman who was dead,” she said, adding that the final report would be released soon and action would be taken against the gram pradhan if found guilty.
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