BSS accuses civic body of leaving out genuine beneficiaries

Rourkela: Congress leader and president of Basti Suraksha Samiti (BSS), Rourkela, Biren Senapati, charged the civic body with failure in selecting the Poor Left Out (PLO) families and in distribution of identity cards to the beneficiaries of various welfare programmes.

At a press conference here, Senapati informed that as per directive of the Odisha FS&CW Department, Rourkela Municipality is required to take steps to identify the poorest among poor left out families by constituting a ward level selection committee with priority on PTGS, disabled, poor household, people with AIDS, destitute, elderly persons abandoned by family.

He alleged that the civic body has arbitrarily finalized the lists of beneficiaries at the behest of BJD councilors, thus depriving the genuine beneficiaries of their entitlements. Putting forth information available through an appeal under RTI Act on Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), Senapati alleged that Rourkela Municipality authority says the scheme was launched in the year 2011, while the same says the survey was started in November 2012 by an NGO at a cost of Rs. 4.63 lakh.

The whopping amount spent for survey work, which remains incomplete even after two years, is shocking, said the BSS president, adding that without considering the strength and capacity of the NGO the civic body entrusted the survey work, which resulted in poor beneficiaries being left out. He threatened to go on agitation if steps are not taken to identify the genuine beneficiaries.

Among others Gajanan Mishra, Legal advisor, Kailash Sahoo, Media Coordinator, Oriam Singh and J N Kumar; and advisors of the organisation were present.