Dimapur, October 23 (MExN): Twenty one voluntary organizations from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland today said National Social Security Schemes (NSSS) has become a ‘hub of corruption’ depriving the rights of the poor. The NE organizations, under Regional Cooperation for People’s Empowerment (RECOPE), met in a consultation program October 20-21 in Kohima to discuss and improve the ‘prevailing poor delivery system’ of the NSSS. The prospect of initiating social audits by using the Right to Information Act (or ‘RTI’) was advised during a recent meet of the RECOPE organizations.
The RECOPE informed today in a note that the organizations discussed the NSS schemes not reaching the targeted families as well as the ignorance of the poor about their rights. Prevailing corruption in the NSSS were also discussed as also were issues about the role and challenges before the civil society and the strategies needed to tackle the problem.
Resource person to the meeting, Nagaland State Information Commissioner Rev. Dr. Pongsing Konyak urge the NGO networks and organizations to spread awareness and educate the rural masses. They can initiate social audits using the RTI, Konyak advised, to bring about changes. RECOPE is committed to promoting improvement of the system through the masses so that the poor get justice, the note said.
