Kohima, July 26 (MExN): The Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court on July 25 heard the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with regard to the manner of fund utilization by the Department of School Education, Social Welfare Department, and Department of Civil Supplies and has issued notice to the Nagaland State Government to respond within four weeks.
The PIL, filed by petitioners ST Yapang and Odi Jamir, informed that an RTI they had filed revealed that the Department of Finance (Budget and Monitoring Cell) has issued 73 drawal authority(s) to the Department of School Education. “Amongst the 73 drawal authorities, 27 drawal authorities appears having serious anomalies from which a whopping amount of Rs 248 Crores 67 Lakhs and 76 thousand from April 21, 2016 to March 31, 2017.”
It also revealed that an amount of Rs. 222.49 crores has been drawn within 10 months by the Social Welfare Department for the purpose of clearance of liabilities under Wheat and Nutrition Programme, Construction of Park for Persons with Disabilities in Kohima district, Orphanages, Children Homes, Observation & Shelter Homes etc., purchase of food items under SNP, Payment of pensions to beneficiaries and blind persons.
The PIL further disclosed that the Department of Finance, Budget and Monitoring Cell has issued 17 drawal authority(s) to the Department of Civil Supplies from June 2, 2016 to July 17, 2016. “Amongst the 17 drawal authority(s), 4 drawal authority(s) appears to have serious anomalies,” the PIL stated. The whopping amount of Rs. 12.55 crores was drawn for the purpose of printing of Ration Cards, transportation of handling charges of food grains of additional BPL, AAY rice for the beneficiaries.
The PIL contended that the said amounts were never judiciously utilized for genuine welfare activities and called for a thorough CBI inquiry into the cases. “In case of proper and judicious utilization of the said amount for progressive and genuine welfare activities, the citizens of Nagaland would be at par with other neighbouring states,” the PIL argued.
