Mizo student body to utilise RTI Act to check fund misuse

Aizawl, Aug 31 (UNI) The apex student body of the state Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) has decided to use Right to Information Act to obtain information about misutilisation of funds especially from the state's Bamboo Flowering&Famine Combat Scheme (BAFFACOS) here.

The largest student organisation in the state alleged that many people ineligible to receive funds from BAFFACOS have become beneficiaries among which were government employees violating the set of guidelines for BAFFACOS.

According to the BAFFACOS guidelines, the people living in urban areas and governemnt employees are not eligible to become its beneficiaries since the scheme is meant to help people living in rural areas to fight the impending famine that would come as a result of the bamboo flowering which brings about a multiplying of pests in the form of rats.

''We believe the funds are being misused and that the true beneficiaries are not receiving them while those not entitled are receiving them'', said MZP president Laltlansanga.

He alleged that the MZP has demanded information from the 15 nodal departments for the scheme and while the organisation had received some information from some of the departments, the information supplied was not satisfactory in some cases.

''From the information that we have already collected, we found that many of the beneficiaries are government officers and well-to-do families, who would not be affected by famine at all,'' he said. Meanwhile, the main opposition party Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee, accused the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) government had already distributed Rs 5000 lakhs in the past two years and that most of the money had missed eligible beneficiaries' pockets.

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