Beneficiaries skipping second instalment raises suspicion; audit soon
PANAJI
Taking serious note of the fact that over 65 per cent of Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries of the “Atal Asra Yojana” do not opt for the second instalment under the scheme for house reconstruction or repair, the State government has decided to undertake a survey to verify whether the amount allotted so far is utilised for the actual purpose or is being misused.
Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai told the House that the government is also contemplating necessary amendments to the scheme to ensure that the amount sanctioned is utilised only for construction, reconstruction, and repair of the house by way of empanelling contractors to undertake the works as per beneficiaries’ demand.
The Minister also said that for the current financial year, the department has already exhausted its Rs 10 crore budgetary provision and hence over 1,800 applications have remained pending. He said that the department requires around Rs 25 crore to clear the pending applications.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the Minister that additional funds would be released through supplementary demands to clear pending dues.
The House was debating the calling attention motion moved by MLA Nilesh Cabral on providing homes to the homeless. Under the scheme, financial assistance for the construction of a new house is up to Rs 3 lakh and for repairs of existing houses up to Rs 1.50 lakh, provided in two instalments.
“We have granted sanctions to 3,185 applications in the last three years; however, what we observed is that less than 35 per cent of beneficiaries have availed both the first and second instalments, and more than 65 per cent have not opted for the second instalment. We suspect misuse of the allotted funds by the beneficiaries and hence they are not in a position to submit utilisation certificates for the second instalment claim,” Phal Dessai said.
The Minister said that the department has decided to conduct the survey to verify why the beneficiaries are not coming forward for the second instalment and to verify whether the amount is utilised for the actual construction of the house under the scheme.
“There was around Rs 17 crore lying with the finance department on account of non-claimants among the beneficiaries. We have asked the department to release it to clear pending applications,” he said, adding that another Rs 25 crore will be needed.
Phal Dessai said that the government has eased several loopholes pertaining to permissions from multiple agencies by allowing panchayats or municipalities to provide certificates affirming that the house has existed for the last 30 years.
Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar also pointed out that beneficiaries have been misusing the funds and demanded that the government rework the scheme to ensure that beneficiaries are not provided with money but with houses directly.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao and GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai urged the government to increase the financial sanction under the scheme, as the amount of Rs 3 lakh is not feasible to construct a house.
