NT NETWORK
MAPUSA
After a long wait of almost 10 months, finally the Mapusa Municipality started the process of distributing cheques as part of the first installment for repairs of toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission. Five hundred-odd beneficiaries were issued sanction letters in the month of September 2015.
Even the Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) had deposited the amount of Rs 4 lakh in the account of the municipality, but cheques were not released to the beneficiaries. On Monday, 60 beneficiaries were handed over the cheques.
Under the central government scheme, financial assistance was to be given to beneficiaries through GSUDA for repairs of existing toilets. With an aim to make India clean, the Swacch Bharat Scheme was formulated wherein the beneficiaries were to be given sanctioned amount in parts – first installment being Rs 2,000 and rest was supposed to follow.
But sadly in Mapusa jurisdiction, no amount was released to any of the beneficiaries since last 10 months. In month of September 2015, Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) had organised a function and issued sanction letters.
Initially the municipality wanted to deposit the amount directly into bank accounts of the beneficiaries to prevent any misuse but there was a problem as all beneficiaries had not given proper account details hence the entire process was stopped. Now the council has worked out the entire process and cheques were prepared of around 500 beneficiaries and process of handing them over to beneficiaries started on Monday.
MMC chairperson Sandip Falari along with other councillors handed over the cheques to around 60 beneficiaries on Monday. The council was expecting around 120 beneficiaries but only 60-odd turned up.