No shagun for 34,000 poor women; ₹83 cr fund lapsed
› Due to a technical issue, ₹2.5 crore came back due to mismatch of beneficiaries in the DBT scheme. An objection was raised in February, but could not be resolved till March 31, 2020.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, to additional chief secretary
PATIALA : Punjab social welfare department was unable to spend Rs 83 crore on poor beneficiaries it was meant to serve in the last fiscal, as the top brass of the department and the minister concerned, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, indulged in a tug of war over mismatch in accounts of around Rs 2.5 crore.
Consequently, the money, of which Rs 71 crore was for beneficiaries of the ‘Aashirwad Scheme — Shagun Scheme’ lapsed and could not be withdrawn from the treasury.
Under this scheme, the state government provides Rs 21,000 shagun (financial assistance) to eligible women at their marriage. In 2019-20, therefore, 33,774 women did not get their shagun from the government.
HT has access to some of the communication between officials.
“Over Rs 71 crore of Shagun Scheme, and Rs 5 crore for intercaste couples marriage, and the rest of Rs 7 crore for other schemes, lapsed in last financial year, as the director didn’t clear the bills and claim the money from the state treasury. This amount was sanctioned in the annual budget, but due to the tug of war, no one from the department claimed it from treasury,” said a department official.
“Due to a technical issue, Rs 2.5 crore came back due to mismatch of beneficiaries in the Direct Benefit Transfer. scheme. An objection was raised in February, but could not be resolved till March 31, 2020. After this, the money lapsed, as it went unclaimed from the state treasury,” reads a communication that a deputy director has sent to an additional chief secretary.
Department officials admitted that due to the tussle, the department director had frozen accounts, thus, even Rs 300 crore meant for the Scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste (SC) students had not been disbursed.
Kirpa Shankar Saroj, additional chief secretary of department, has already submitted a report blaming the minister for the stand-off. Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has asked the chief secretary to examine the report.
Minister Dharamsot has blamed the secretary and the director for mismanagement. “I just came to know that money had lapsed. I have marked an inquiry against erring officials as many beneficiaries didn’t get the shagun,” he said. He added that he will release a detailed report against department officials, who had deliberately delayed the release of funds meant for scholarship and welfare schemes.