Bhopal: CAG Report Reveals Shortcomings, Scams In Sambal Yojna

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The names of beneficiaries of Sambal Yojna were wrongly struck off the list during the 15-month rule of the Congress government in the state.

This fact was revealed in the CAG report which it also put a question mark on the process for registration of beneficiaries under the scheme. There are many shortcomings in implementation, financial management, and monitoring the scheme launched in 2018 in the state, the CAG report said.

The report also highlighted a few scams in the scheme. The chief executive officers of Rajpur and Sendhwa Janpad Panchayats in collusion with the accountants withdrew Rs 2.47 crore and deposited the money in the accounts of some employees and their relatives.

A deceased was twice given the benefits of the scheme. The report also highlighted that beneficiaries had not been given financial aides in time for performing the last rites, and, in some cases, financial aides were not given even after three years.

According to the CAG report, out of 2.18 crore registered labourers, 67.48 lakh were declared ineligible for benefits during the physical verification of the scheme in 2019. The number of beneficiaries declared ineligible was 31% of the total labourers.

Out of 67.34 lakh labourers, 14.34 lakh were declared ineligible, but they were not given any reason for it.

Afterwards, appellate authority declared many of them eligible for benefits under the scheme. The CAG report also mentioned that even after the government’s instructions, Poojari, Sevadar, Tendu leaf collectors and migrant labourers were not registered under the scheme.

Two other schemes were also announced along with the Sambal Yojna, but they were carried out. Schemes for giving financial aid for buying equipment for Unnat Vyavsay and free-of-cost coaching for vocational courses were not implemented.