To conceal large-scale irregularities, the Department of Culture is allegedly not providing the `criterion’ fixed for selecting the winner. After a complaint in this regard, Information Commissioner Hafiz Usman has intervened and issued notices to the oficials to reveal the same or be ready for action.
Hafiz Usman revealed on Thursday that a petition was lodged in his court wherein it was alleged that the Department of Culture was not providing details of awards conferred to large number of people in the last few years.
The SIC said that a RTI activist in Allahabad filed an application with the Department of Culture asking about the awards issued, criteria adopted to select the winner, whether awards could be given if the receiver was facing criminal case, how much money and through which fund were the awards presented and lastly whether it was not a wastage of public money to give away such awards.
Usman claimed that the officials replied that Yash Bharati and Begum Akhtar A0wards were given by the department and that till June 2016, 87 persons received Yash Bharati and 2 had been given Begum Akhtar Award. Similarly, in 2015-16, 46 persons were given Yash Bharati Award.
Yash Bharati Award winners got Rs 11 lakh in cash and a pension of Rs 50,000 per month. However, the department did not give specific reply regarding the `criterion’ followed to chose the winner.
The SIC said that after several efforts to get the inputs from the department failed, he has now issued notice to Culture department officials and directed them to immediately furnish details or be ready for punishment. He said that if the department refused to answer to the RTI query, then the issue will be taken up on April 24.
Meanwhile, social activist Dr Nutun Thakur who also filed an RTI on the same issue claimed that Culture Secretary-cum-Director Hariom’s wife Malvika’s Yash Bharti draft was cancelled at the last moment. She claimed that RTI Information revealed that Dr Hariom had recommended his wife’s name for the award and bank draft was also prepated in her name but her name was rejected by the State government after which the bank draft was issued in the name of Devinder Singh.
She claimed that documents obtained from Culture Directorate revealed that the original budget for 2016-17 had provisions for only 25 persons to be given Yash Bharti awards. Among 310 applications received, the Culture Directorate forwarded 94 names to the state government.
On 24 October 2016, the state government decided to give these awards to 54 persons but the next day, 11 names were added to the list. On 27 October 2016, instead of 65 names, actually 73 persons got Yash Bharti awards with last moment additions being made.
On 27 October, 9 new names were announced for these awards and on 29 November, 2 more names including that of IAS Subhash l Y were added and thgey were given this award on December 1. The budgetary situation had become so precarious by that time that debt of Rs. 11 lakh each was taken for 02 awardees from Bhartendu Natya Academy and Sangeet Natak Academy.
Dr Thakur, who is pursuing a PIl against Yash Bharti awards in lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court, said that this was mockery of the system and she would bring these facts before the Court.