Nayagarh: The names of eligible applicants who have been orphaned due to Covid-19 in Nayagarh district are not being enlisted under state government’s Ashirbad scheme and officials in charge are demanding bribe for enlistment, locals alleged Wednesday.
Allegedly, bribe to the tune of Rs 1,000 is being demanded for enlisting the names and applications are being returned in case the money is not paid. A written complaint in this regard was also made against the district child protection unit (DCPU) officer before Nayagarh Collector Poma Tudu by a number of locals Monday, local residents said.
Denizens have demanded an inquiry into the issue along with stringent action against the official on being found guilty.
“My wife died August 8, 2021 due to Covid-19 while undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. The district child protection officer Satya Ranjan Das demanded Rs 1,000 from me when I went to the unit’s office and applied on behalf of my only daughter,” Bina Nayak from Adipada village under Nuagaon block said.
“After I expressed my inability to pay the demanded amount, Das returned my application saying that it was not filled properly. The application cannot be processed the official warned me. I am an uneducated person,” Nayak added.
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Seeking anonymity, another local woman informed that she got her application recently granted by paying a bribe of Rs 1,000.
On being contacted, the CPO Das said, “I have never asked anyone for bribe. The allegations levelled by a man from Adipada village are baseless. When I said that I have not received any application in his name, the man applied again. However, it did not contain the requisite death certificate of his wife for which I returned the application.”
So far, around 630 eligible beneficiaries have been registered under Ashirbad scheme in Nayagarh district, Das added.
Meanwhile, Nayagarh Collector Poma Tudu assured that allegations over demand of bribe will be investigated and action will be taken if anyone is found guilty.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had launched the Ashirbad scheme June 20, 2021 for providing financial assistance to Covid-19 orphaned children below 18 years. It was aimed that children whose one or both parents died would benefit from the scheme.
Monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 was decided to be given under the scheme to children who have lost both of their parents or a single parent due to Covid-19. Similarly, Rs 1,500 per month was also announced to be given to those who have lost an earning parent.
The policy came into force with retrospective effect from April 1, 2020 and continued till September 15, 2021.
The financial assistance was to be directly transferred to bank accounts of either guardians or caretakers of the orphans till they attain the age of 18 years. However, the assistance will not be extended in case a child is adopted by someone.
PNN