Shillong, Oct 13: Tura MDC Bernard N Marak of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised concerns on the alleged deprivation of financial assistance and relief to the poor affected by natural calamities.
In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, he said that as the rain and flood caused irreparable damages in Garo Hills affecting hundreds of families in the villages, many families in the past did not receive financial assistance after losing their houses and property.
“Many did not even receive PMAY houses and ration cards, which is very concerning. The government did not focus on the Aadhaar-based payment directly to the beneficiary account and the financial assistance did not reach the affected families,” he claimed.
“I observed that the forms provided by some officials did not have options for Aadhaar and bank account details which I believe could be the reason for no direct benefit. So, to ease the work of the authorities, I mechanized a system to get complete details of the affected families, which are being filled up by the villagers irrespective of party affiliation and will be submitted to you at the earliest. We will also submit the same to the central authorities so that the affected families get the benefit and are not deprived,” he added.
Stating that rehabilitation of any kind has also not been done anywhere, he said that the people have opted for financial assistance from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, which was issued to many in many States, but in Meghalaya, rarely any family benefited from it.
