Invited for disbursal of cheques for toilets, villagers get just nod letters
LAKHIJUNGLE(BATHINDA):HUNDREDS of residents from the nearby area who had come to Lakhi Jungle village of Bathinda district on Friday to attend an awareness camp on the Punjab government’s schemes for the poor were a disappointed lot.
Many of them were invited to the camp by the local administration with the promise to be given ₹15,000 cheque each to construct toilets under the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission. But what they got was a mere letter conveying nod to their application with a sixmonth waiting period.
Shinderpal Kaur and Charanjit Kaur from Mehma Sarja village shared the same grouse. “We thought we will get the cheque but it was not to be. It was wrong on their part,” Shinderpal said.
She said at least 150 women from their village set out of their houses in the early hours everyday to defecate in the open.
As the Punjab chief minister’s chief principal secretary, Suresh Kumar, explained the government’s efforts in implementing the schemes for the poor at the camp, held as part of the yearlong celebrations of Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary, many beneficiaries narrated the problems they are faced with.
Among the common issues were open defecation in the absence of toilets, wait for old-age pension for months and non-payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS).
Lakhi Jungle, Nathiana and Mehma Sarja have been picked among 36 villages from across the state where 100% implementation of the central and state-sponsored schemes for the poor will be ensured. Also, it was announced to develop seven ‘model’ villages in the Goniana block.
Some said their health insurance cards under the Bhai Ghanaiya Bima Yojana were of no use to them. At Mehma Sarja, nearly 30 MGNREGS workers have not received their wages for over six months. “I did earthwork at the village pond for 8 days but no payment has been made to me even after three months. The bank officials tell me every time that the money has not been transferred to my account,” said Jaspreet Kaur, a farm labourer.
Other women sadi they dug pits to build toilets at the behest of the officials but they did not receive the money for more than a year. Ironically, Goniana block was declared open defecationfree (ODF) six months back.
Additional deputy commissioner (ADC development) Sakshi Sahni said, “We will check how families are complaining of having no toilets since the block has been declared open defecation-free.”
AWARENESS CAMP ON GOVT’S SCHEMES FOR THE POOR IN BATHINDA WAS PRESIDED OVER BY CM’S CHIEF PRINCIPAL SECY SURESH KUMAR