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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Cash-transfer scheme: Pilot study in trouble, govt writes to cops

Cash-transfer scheme: Pilot study in trouble, govt writes to cops

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published Published on May 24, 2011   modified Modified on May 24, 2011

-Express News Service

 

A Delhi government pilot study to test waters in the cash-for-food scheme is facing stiff resistance. NGO Parivartan, led by RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal, raised questions on Thursday about the move. Another NGO, which has been entrusted with the pilot study, has, meanwhile, alleged that Parivartan workers have threatened the families who are part of the study.

The pilot study, involving 500 households in Raghubir Nagar, West Delhi, is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is being carried out by Sewa Bharat to analyse the reaction to the cash-transfer scheme.

The NGO is submitting Rs 1,000 in the bank accounts of the women members of the each of selected households. The study will be a comparison between families who opt for cash and those who stick to the ration system.

Last week, Sewa Bharat sent a written complaint to the Delhi government alleging that workers from a group of NGOs, working under the name ‘Ration Vyawastha Sudhar Abiyaan’ and being spearheaded by Parivartan, threatened the 100-odd families who are getting cash instead of grains, as part of the pilot study.

On Wednesday, Sewa Bharat officials met the Chief Secretary, claiming that the members of sample households were harassed by another NGO. “A group of 30-35 people from an NGO Parivartan entered Raghubir Nagar with a list of 100 women participating in the study. They intimidated these women, took photographs of them

and their families as well as photocopies of their ration cards without their consent. They also pressurised them to withdraw from the pilot,” director of Sewa Bharat, Sanjay Kumar, said in the written complaint to the Chief Secretary.

The Delhi government has now taken cognizance of this. “If some organisation, with approval from the government is doing a survey, no other organsiation has the right to harass or threaten them. I have asked the Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner to look into the issue,” said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf.

Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner Dharampal has now written to Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta about the incident and has asked the police to take immediate action and to stop this “mis-information” campaign.

Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, on Thursday hit out at the government, questioning the study. He said it was “ironical” that on one hand, the Sonia Gandhi- led National Advisory Council has drafted a Food Security Act that promises 35 kg of subsided foodgrains to the poor, while on the other, the Congress government in Delhi claims to be implementing a Planning Commission project to close down all PDS shops and provide cash instead.

“The new scheme is “inflation insensitive”, and in the absence of PDS, there will be no control over foodgrain prices,” Arvind Kejriwal told reporters.

The government, meanwhile, has assured that the compensation given will be reviewed regularly. “Our proposal already has a provision for quarterly reviewing the cash amount that is on offer instead of ration. The PDS shops, despite monitoring, have not been giving grains out in time and also adulterating the supply,” added Dharampal.

The study was begun in January and a mid-term review will be carried out in June. It will go on till December — the final results of the study will be made public in February next year.

The study includes analyses of the success of the cash-transfer schem. The nutritional health of the family, especially the women, will also be looked at.

Express News Service, 20 May, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cashtransfer-scheme-pilot-study-in-trouble-govt-writes-to-cops/793439/


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