Misappropriating poverty money

IT might seem elevating for the spirit that public money worth billions of Taka is being funneled through various government, semi-government or autonomous bodies with the altruistic goal of reducing poverty. But closer examination of where the money is finally landing may sometimes reveal a not-so-inspiring picture of reality.  A recent report in a leading Bangla daily has exposed how those in charge of an autonomous anti-poverty organisation under the Rural Development and Cooperative ministry have been plundering the poverty money instead of lending it to the poor.
With seemingly everyone's hand, from the top of the management to the field level worker, in the till, it is hardly surprising that half of the supposedly five hundred thousand poor borrowers of an astronomical sum of Tk. 411 crore have defaulted on their loans. In fact, many of these loan recipients are fake, while others, far from being members of the targeted poor households, belong to the local gentry, tout groups and even field workers of the organisation, not to mention the relatives of highly placed officials of this 'poor-friendly' organisation.
One wonders how many such organisations flaunting their anti-poverty signboards are squandering public money while the condition of the real poor in whose name this money is mobilised has been going from bad to worse. Ironically, those at the helm are taking false pride in the country's continued success in eradicating poverty.  
Hopefully, the government would keep a closer watch on the organisations working for poverty alleviation and hold the officials found misappropriating the money for the poor to account.