This refers to the editorial, “Sold down the river” (March 7). Identifying beneficiaries of any social welfare scheme like loan waiver, old age or widow pension etc starts at the tehsil or block level.
At this level there is so much of local political pressure that it is almost impossible for Government servants to work honestly. Taking advantage of the pressures, lower level employees also do their bit of manipulation and fudge figures to earn some quick bucks. Therefore, one should not be shocked, or surprised, by the revelations made by the Comptroller and Auditor-General on the UPA’s loan waiver scheme for farmers.
Had the country's political class been really interested in uplifting the poor, it would have controlled its cronies. The politicians themselves should have supervised the working of the scheme to ensure transparency in the system and control rogue elements. Alas, there seems to be no end to political interference in each and every sphere of administrative work. Hence, public money will continue to be wasted through such schemes.