List for Cash Aid Eight lakh mobile numbers dropped for repetitions

Eight lakh names out of 50 lakh listed beneficiaries were dropped from the government list after repetitions of mobile numbers were detected, disaster management minister Md Enamur Rahman told New Age on Saturday.

‘The irregularly in the recently made database of the beneficiaries was unearthed while transferring Tk 2,500 to each of the 50 lakh hardcore poor families from the prime minister’s office through mobile banking beginning from Thursday,’ he said.

The PMO and information and communication technology ministry would crosscheck the mobile numbers of the poor families provided by union digital centres and ward digital centres under the ICT ministry, he added.

‘If the names of the beneficiaries were found authentic, they would be asked to give alternative mobile numbers for transferring money,’ Enamur said, adding that the fake people would be dropped from the list. 

Earlier on May 11, the PMO ordered the disaster management ministry and ICT ministry to crosscheck the database of 1.25 crore beneficiaries that they made in April for distributing relief transparently during the pandemic.

Following her order, the disaster management ministry, food ministry, women and children affairs ministry and livestock ministry on May 11 suspended the disbursement of rice for distribution to the 1.25 crore beneficiaries.

However, both ICT ministry and disaster ministry earlier confirmed to the PMO that the list of the 50 lakh hardcore poor had been crosschecked, the disaster management ministry officials said.  

‘The hardcore 50 lakh families were supposed to get both cash incentives and rice while the remaining 75 lakh families were supposed to get only rice,’ Enamur said, adding that the list of 75 lakh other beneficiaries would also be verified again after tracking their mobile numbers. 

‘Anyone found involved with any irregularities would be punished,’ he assured.

In a written statement Transparency International Bangladesh on Saturday demanded a thorough investigation into the matter for ensuring transparency in the relief distribution process.

In random interviews many poor families told New Age that they were not informed about any such database and some of them also said that a number of ward councillors in Dhaka even demanded money for inclusion of their names into the database.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net