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| J&K's social welfare deptt embezzled crores, centre seeks probe | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 21: In an embarrassing but major indictment, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has accused the Jammu and Kashmir's ministry of Social Welfare of having embezzled the funds meant for the physically disabled people.
The funds have been diverted, figures have been fudged and huge amount has been shown as having been spent on buying aids and equipments for physically disabled and mentally challenged children of Jammu and Kashmir. So insensitive has been the social welfare department and its respective heads that aids have been shown as having been bought and later, distributed among the needy ones but ground surveys revealed no such exercise ever took place.
Union ministry has now asked the Social Welfare ministry to order and in-depth probe and punish the guilt without worrying about affiliations of the individuals involved. From NGOs to the government offices, none should be spared, is what the Union Ministry has told the Social Welfare Ministry, presently headed by Sajjad Gani Lone of Peoples Conference (PC).
A report says that scheme of Assistance to Disabled persons for purchase/fitting of aids/appliances (ADIP) was launched in April-2005 and same was extended to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In this scheme, ministry provided grant-in-aid to NGOs and other executive agencies of state governments with the aim of reducing effects of disabilities and, enhancing economic potential of disabled persons by bringing suitable, durable, scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances within their reach.
However, in Jammu and Kashmir, implementing Agencies conducted one camp for identification of beneficiaries but never went for second camp for distribution of appliances. In many cases beneficiaries whose names were provided by the implementing agency could not be traced. In many places, the address was limited to the name of a street or even a district/town. This problem was more acute in Udhampur District where the team could find only as less as two beneficiaries.
In many cases where the team managed to find out the beneficiaries after putting in a lot of efforts, persons mentioned in the list denied that they have received appliance from the Implementing Agency. In some cases they even denied having attended any camp. It was observed that the beneficiary list provided by Implementing Agencies contained wrong details of beneficiaries.
Jammu and Kashmir was allotted an amount of Rs. 81.51 Lakh of which 81 percent was released during the financial year. Utilisation of the allotted funds during the year was 68.1 percent. In the year 2014-15; the state received an annual allotment of Rs. 52 Lakh of which no expenditure is made. Total allotment during this period was Rs. 189.51 Lakh. Of this, only Rs. 153.77 was released.
There is nothing on ground to show that this amount was utilised for the purpose for which it was meant. The assessment report found out that aids and appliances had not been distributed but bills had been withdrawn. Citing an instance, the report has referred to allocation of Rs. 51.08 Lakh to the three selected districts named Pulwama, Jammu and Udhampur and said that implementing agency claimed to have distributed aids and appliances to 232 differently Abled persons.
But when the investigation was carried out, it was found that the addresses provided by implementing agencies were not full as only district names were provided and it was difficult to find beneficiaries with only district names. Even the district officials were also not found aware of the beneficiaries benefited under the project. The team visited the state thrice but managed to contact just 83 beneficiaries and even they too were found taking benefit from other schemes. It was also found that in a number of cases, bills had been exaggerated.
More serious was the fact that the appliances like wheel chairs and tricycles provided through the camp were of medium quality and tyres and rims had developed problems soon after they were obtained from the Implementing agency.
The team observed from the field that the appliances provided were in some cases not fitting to the environment in which they were to be used. This was against the guidelines of the scheme and thus, clearly showed that those implementing the scheme had committed some kind of mischief. The team further found out that none of the Implementing Agencies in Jammu and Kashmir had their own institutional capacities. And it is because of this reason that many of the people in the list provided by implementing agencies denied having received appliances under the scheme. |
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