CM’s pet project turns sham, Rachabanda promises still elusive

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Sep 27, 2013: In yet another instance of official apathy, not a single pension amount under various categories sanctioned during Chief Minister’s ambitious pet project, Racha Banda has beeb disbursed since 2011 to the beneficiaries in the district. The shocking fact came to light after a response by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) to a query under RTI Act.     

The state government has taken up Rachabanda programme through out the state in a bid to instill confidence among the public by redressing their grievances on the spot and to take the administration to the doorsteps of the people.

Besides, the programme provides an opportunity to the ministers, people's representatives and officials to oversee the implementation of developmental programmes, strengthen delivery mechanism to the targeted people and to take stock of the situation at a focal point at Gram Panchayat level in their own territory.

The thrust areas in Rachabanda programme are ration cards, pensions, Dr YSR Abhayahastam, Arogyasri, Housing, MGNREGS and Pavala Vaddi in rural and urban areas. The main focus of the programem is 100pecent disposal of pending applications/appeals for pensions.

Fresh applications will also be received during the programme for process and it will be ensured that all eligible old-aged, widow and disabled persons who do not possess ration card also receive pension after proper verification.

The state government targeted to provide around 3 lakh new pensions during the programme, when it was launched amidst much fanfare, by following saturation principle with state as a unit.

In a reply to a RTI Act query, on Sep 22, DRDA, project director, MVVS Uma Devi admitted that during the CM’s Rachchabanda-2 in Vizag district, 21,568 applications for pensions from Nov 2011 to April 2013 to senior citizens, handicapped and widows, were processed and sanctioned but the pension amounts have not been released yet by the state authorities in Hyderabad.

“The applicants seem to be under the impression that the pensions would be released only when the CM conducts another Rachchabanda session which has been unduly delayed. Almost two years have elapsed since the last Rachchabanda session was held in Visakhapatnam area and the applicants have waited long enough to lose hope and feel helpless. In a way, the delay has eroded the credibility of the Rachchabanda scheme itself. I wonder as to how many of the 21,568 applicants are still alive. This is a typical case of a huge gap between promises and action,” said union government’s former energy secretary and Forum for Better Visakha (FBV) convener, EAS Sarma.