The makers of modern India dreamed of a socialist pattern of society with equal rights and opportunities to all its citizens. As a constitutional mandate, the Central and State Governments have been implementing a number of schemes and programmes to build an inclusive society that bridges the gaps of inequality. But many of such well intended efforts are being misdirected with increasing fake beneficiaries.
The call of Prime Minister to give up subsidy in lPG has motivated many to give it up in the interest of the poor and similar spirit should be exhibited in all other schemes in the interest of the poor and the marginalized. The benefits of various development programmes and projects should reach to the targeted beneficiaries but it has been observed that in many rural parts there are fake beneficiaries availing benefits. There have been media reports about Government employees who have managed to get BPl and ration cards and identified as beneficiaries of IAY for rural poor. There are also fake caste certificates by a few Government employees and others who manage to get job, admission in educational institutions under seats reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs and even contest elections to get elected in Panchayatraj institutions. There are two court cases challenging the caste status of candidates in Assembly constituencies in Sundargarh and Deogarh districts where the opponent candidates challenged the elected members’ caste background and the matter is sub-judice in the High Court of Odisha. Along with usual charges of corruption, bribe, and bureaucratic delays in getting entitlements, the most important is the benefits provided to the rural poor and marginalized communities under various Government development schemes and programmes increasingly getting diverted to fake beneficiaries. Some of the popular schemes such as IAY, NREGS, land distribution, pension, healthcare, social security and food security schemes complain of fake beneficiaries getting the benefits of the poor and marginalised.
The State Government has received 2,300 cases of complaint on false caste certificate from different sources till 2014. The Government of Odisha ST and SC Development Department and Home Department have issued model guidelines to inquire the fake caste certificate issues by police. The cases are mostly found in the districts of Phulbani, Navarangpur, Balangir, Baragada and Kalahandi. It is reported by ST and SC Development Department that the Southern RDC division has the highest number of cases in comparison to Northern and Central RDC zones. The State Government has formed a State level Scrutiny Committee for its verification and district level vigilance cell to inquire such complaints with legal retainers to facilitate the process. It is unfortunate that one department of Government is issuing caste certificate and the other department is forming vigilance team to verify the certificates. Why the caste certificate issue process does not ensure transparencyIJ The fake caste certificate issues are creating social tension among different communities that lead to loss of life and property along with law and order situation. As many of the Government schemes and programmes and policy initiatives are linked to caste identity of communities, the fake caste certificate is a matter of concern for the State in ensuring identification of genuine beneficiaries of the respective programme.
Mostly the development schemes implemented by State are primarily targeting the rural poor and people of marginalised communities but due to a number of reasons, they have very insignificant role in selection of beneficiaries. Majority of the rural poor are illiterate and unorganised and there has been wide communication gap between the local administration and rural poor. In recent times there are reports of suspension of Government employees in different districts who applied for grabbing benefits of the food security scheme though they were ineligible.
Keonjhar districts Collector suspended 11 Government employees a majority of whom are school teachers. The Collector of Kandhamal suspended one ASI of police and informed to SP, DFO and CDMO to initiate action against six teachers, eight police personal, one clerk, one forest guard and one medical staff in the district. Similar cases are reported in other districts also. Recently 17 Government employees that include a school teacher, a staff of SSA, a sports teacher and a village agricultural worker were suspended by the district Collector of Ganjam. It is revealed that in Kukudakhandi block of Ganjam district there are six instances of withdrawal of pension in the name of dead beneficiaries which came to the notice of local BDO after an inquiry. The pension schemes meant for people with disability and elderly people has been mismanaged with fake beneficiaries and many of the eligible targeted beneficiaries are being deprived of getting their entitlement.
Take the example of Barachana block in Jajpur district where the number of IAY beneficiaries has gone high with increase in a number of fake beneficiaries and irregularity in selection of beneficiaries. The matter was discussed in State Assembly and a House committee which visited the area found the lapses during their verification. The then Jajpur Collector suspended seven officials in charge of corruption.
In spite of direct cash transfer benefit to job card holders of NREGS, the Kendrapada district administration has received reports of wage payment to dead persons. It was reported that there were fake beneficiaries and muster rolls being maintained to misuse the funds for rural poor under the employment guaranty programme. There are a number of popular schemes with Central assistance being misdirected due to the lack of monitoring. In compensation case to Posco project affected families in Jagaisingpur, fake beneficiaries have got compensations. In the Ahara Yojana, many unwanted people rush to the centre to take subsidized meals.
People having land and regular Government jobs are trying to tap the benefits for the poor by manipulating records through their influence over local Government employees and with backing of ruling party agents. The process of beneficiary selection is one of the important works which has been neglected by Government officials. There is minimal transparency in selection. In a few cases, a nexus of ruling party workers and local officials leads to selection of fake beneficiaries. The Panchyatiraj institutions have a major role in beneficiary selection but they have failed to ensure a transparent beneficiary selection process. The provisions of open discussion for selection of beneficiaries in Gram Sabha are very rarely being followed in the village. The caste and gender barriers in the village restrict the participation of women.
The tendencies to get free out of public money need to be discouraged and undeserving people should keep out of access to schemes and programmes. There should be enough awareness about schemes in public especially about the purpose of such schemes and the target beneficiaries. The organizations of rural poor should get involved in the process of implementation of schemes for the poor from the very beginning with genuine and transparent identification process.
(The writer is a researcher and rights activist, who can be mailed at manasbbsr15@gmail.com Mob -9437060797)