Irregularity in Social Security Allowances brought into Action
Applicant’s Information
Ganesh Baniya , Jajarkot
RTI Activist
Nature of Information Sought: Public
Circumstance:
Mr. Ganesh Baniya is a journalist who has been campaigning on behalf of right to information and freedom of expression being specific at Jajarkot, Rukum and Salyan Districts. In the meantime, Mr. Baniya was reported about the irregularity in the distribution of social security allowancs in Laha Village Development Committee (VDC), Jajarkot. Such an irregularity involved the distribution of such allowances to fake beneficiaries, maintaining fake records of allowance distribution and releasing the allowances in the name of such persons who were already dead. Mr. Baniya also heard the grievances from the real beneficiaries that they had not received any sorts of allowances from the VDC.
Role of RTI Centre
Mr. Baniya explained the situation to the RTI Centre and sought for assistance. The Centre counseled him to seek documents related to the allowance distribution from concerned VDC and also to subsequently carry out a survey in the concerned locality on the basis of the received. The Centre also assisted him by drafting RTI application for the process.
Consequence
Mr. Baniya filed the application on August 31, 2014. In regard to get the information that had been sought, potential threats against the security of Mr. Baniya were advanced. That included the warnings from government officials upon asking the information, rejection of the RTI Application from being filed and offers for not taking the issue in public.
Outcome:
After a continued struggle for over a year, Mr. Baniya got an access to the desired information, i.e. the verified copies of the original copies of the receipt where the beneficiaries had put their signatures after receiving the social security allowances. The subsequent survey with the beneficiaries also exhibited that majority of the persons stated in the records stated that they had not received such an allowance as said. Furthermore, it was also found that the allowances had been released in the name of such persons who had died 24 years ago.
This issue became the centre of discussion where such an irregularity in the VDC was criticized. Furthermore, this issue was also taken over while the VDC Secretary was suspended by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for investigation.