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As one is given to understand, several individuals and groups have contributed generously towards the fight against Covid-19 in the state. Given the situation at hand, it is in the ingenuity of things that the State Government has in its possession a master record of such contributions that have been made from various quarters including those from the Central Government, foreign entities, Government bodies, private groups and individuals, etc. More importantly, it is also in one’s imagination that the utilisation account of such monetary contributions is recorded by the Government. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, such records must be brought to the knowledge of the general public while making the same accessible for public scrutiny.
Take, for instance, the contribution made by a Bollywood Actor to the Nagaland Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF). Sometime in the last part of 2018, Bollywood Actor, Sushant Singh Rajput donated a whopping sum of INR 1.25 Cr to the CMRF of Nagaland. This the Actor did in order to help the flood-affected people in the State. INR 1.25 Cr is a huge amount of money and one cannot help but assume that the State Government must have made the best use of it. Likewise, how the fund was utilised must be made known to the general public because as a matter of fact, whether it is the CM’s Relief Fund, CS’s Relief Fund or DC’s Relief Fund or by whatever name one prefers to call it; it is still Public Fund and the Public has the right to know how funds meant for the welfare of the public have been utilised.
Yet again, take the case of INR 176.52 Cr which was released to the State just recently on March 27, 2020 by the Centre. The Fund was released to Nagaland as relief necessitated by natural calamity like flood and landslide that took place in 2019. Altogether INR 4421.92 Cr was sanctioned to seven State Governments viz. Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Karnataka from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for the period 2019-20. How the INR 176.52 Cr is being utilised must be made known to the general public. As already maintained, the fund is meant for the welfare of the public and the public has the right to know how funds meant for their welfare are being utilised. The State Government had recently sanctioned INR 20 Lakhs to Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) but the amount is peanuts and obviously raises no eyebrows. However, for an enormous INR 176.52 Cr released by the Centre, the State for sure must have utilisation records of the same in detail. If so, the government must bring to the notice of the general public how the fund is being utilised.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, several contributions have been made to fight against the spread of the deadly virus. Contributions have been made by legislators from the ruling and opposition parties alike, individuals from public and private sectors, organisations, etc. However, the million-dollar question is; how are these contributions, both in cash and kind, being utilised? Is the government maintaining proper record of such utilisation? By the way, how is the INR 17.5 Cr meant for setting up quarantine homes and for procurement of basic necessities by the VDBs (50% of State Funded Grant-in-Aid) being utilised?
For instance, take another case- the CMRF. Till December 2019, a total of 2,787 people had contributed towards the CMRF through Airpay, 1,993 people contributed through cash, cheque or net-banking and 34,560 people through Paytm. This means that a total number of 39,340 people from across the Country had contributed towards the CMRF of Nagaland. What happened to all those donations? How did the Government utilise the donations? Can the utilisation record be made known to the general public?
Is the conscience of the State Government clear after transferring INR 48.9 Cr to a total number of 24,457 beneficiaries who are purportedly registered with Nagaland Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board? To maintain transparency and accountability, can the Government bring forward the list of those beneficiaries with father’s name, place of residence and name of tribe in public domain?
No one gives away one’s hard -earned money to charity unless one is convinced that the purpose of such initiative is for a good cause. It is without doubt that the philanthropic acts were actions arising out of a strong belief that the CMRF would grant relief to deserving families and individuals affected by natural calamities in the state. Under such a paradigm, it is of paramount importance that the general public is made known on how the Fund contributed to fight against the Covid-19 is being utilised.
It was made known that INR 38 Cr was sanctioned to all the Deputy Commissioners of Nagaland and the Department of Health and Family Welfare for exigency expenses. How is the fund being utilised? Doesn’t the general public deserve to know such details? Furthermore, how is the INR 21.60 Cr that was released to Medical Department to strengthen the capacity of the Department and also to extend logistical support to Quarantine Centres and Hospitals being utilised?
It is impossible to keep track of private contributions made by private groups and individuals to private entities and routed through private channels. For example- how much the super-rich Contractors & Suppliers, both local and non-local, have contributed towards the fight against Covid-19 is inapt and irrelevant. How much the Chief Minister of Nagaland has contributed from his own pocket towards the fight against Covid-19 is also unrelated and therefore, irrelevant to the subject in question. These are private matters and it is not the concern of the Government to keep track of such affairs. However, on the contrary, as for contributions made to Government agencies which are controlled and supervised by Government Agencies such as, for instance, the Chief Minister’s Office, the Chief Secretary’s Office, the Deputy Commissioner’s Office etc; clear and up-to-date record with details of utilisation must be maintained and made available to the general public. All such records from across the state must be collected and a master record must be compiled with a designated Nodal Agency under the Government which may keep track of all incoming and outgoing funds while keeping records open for scrutiny by the general public whenever required.
No corruption in the name of Corona Virus please.
Bendangyanger
Aoyimkum Village,
Dimapur.