Cash Assistance List: 2 'NIDs’ for 72 names!
Irregularities have been found in government cash assistance lists for tea workers in Moulvibazar, with fake NID numbers used multiple times.
The Department of Social Services recently gave a Tk 5,000 cheque each to 2,113 tea workers of 22 tea gardens in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar, under a government programme to improve impoverished tea workers' living standards.
On June 6, 601 workers of Shamshernagar, Kanihati, Deochhara, Baghichhara and Doublechhara tea gardens received their cheques, which were distributed by a local lawmaker of Moulvibazar.
On examining the lists, however, 72 workers' names in Shamshernagar and Kanihati tea gardens were found against the numbers of two national identity cards (NIDs).
Workers' representatives also said the list included names of those who are not even tea garden workers.
Makhan Bin, who is the first entry on the list of Kanihati tea garden workers, is listed against the NID No 581568595. The list contains the names of 41 more workers against the same NID.
On the list of Shamshernagar tea garden workers, Satyanarayan Rajbhar is the 110th entry with his NID listed as 5815685. This is followed by 29 other workers' names against the same NID, including that of Nunu Mia, who is a microbus driver from Singrauli village in Shamshernagar.
NIDs usually have 13 digits or 17 digits (with the addition of the birth year), with the exception of smart card NIDs which have 10 digits.
"I found allegations of nepotism and irregularities in the list. Besides, few of the listed are not even registered tea garden workers," said Nipendra Bauri, president of Shamshernagar Tea Garden Panchayat.
Along with Srikanta Kanu, Panchayat General Secretary Nipendra filed a complaint with the upazila nirbahi officer on June 16. In their complaint, they stated that tea workers names' were omitted with the UP chairman and ward UP member including names of their choosing instead.
According to the Kamalganj upazila office of the social services department, these lists were prepared by the workers' representatives and local officials. The lists were signed by the respective tea garden panchayat president, local union parishad chairman and member and manager of the tea garden concerned.
For example, the union parishad chairman of Shamshernagar union, the manager of the tea garden, and the tea garden panchayat president, signed the tea garden workers' list on November 2 last year after checking and sorting the prepared lists.
Yakub Ali, union parishad member of Shamshernagar, said he is not aware of any irregularities. However, there could be some mistakes due to technical issues, he added.
Pratap Rikiashan, Kanihati tea garden panchayat president, could not be reached despite several attempts by this correspondent.
Sitaram Bin, union parishad member of Kanihati, said he was not involved in making the list and that the local tea garden panchayat president and the UP chairman worked on it together.
Though the cheques have already been distributed, the social services department is yet to give instructions to the concerned banks about these funds.
"So, no one has been able to cash the cheques yet. Now that various allegations are being heard, these will be investigated," said Pranesh Chandra Barma of the social service department's office in Kamalganj upazila.
Mohan Robidas, president of Jagaran Juba Forum and local resident, told this correspondent that local representatives violated the policy titled "Cha Sramikder Jibanman Unnayan Karmasuchi Bastobayan Nitimala-2013". He sought exemplary punishment for those involved in irregularities.
"We are disappointed and worried about the corrupt attitude and activities of a group of unscrupulous people in the pro-people initiatives taken by the government during such a serious crisis," he said.
Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Nazia Shirin said there was no scope to misappropriate money by making fake lists.