Raushan places list of 8,000 'JP activists' for VGF relief

25 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Rafique Sarker, Rangpur

Jatiya Party (JP) lawmaker Raushan Ershad endorsed about 8,000 people of Rangpur Sadar upazila for food relief under Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) Programme 'violating' the rules. The distribution of rice under the programme in the upazila has become uncertain as the union VGF committees could not prepare a list of the beneficiaries following Raushan's interference. The government under its safety net programme has allocated 10 kgs of rice for each of 2,23,604 vulnerable people in the district ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha. According to programme, 34,861 people of Rangpur Sadar upazila (Rangpur-3 constituency) are to get VGF benefit. A number of union parishad (UP) chairmen under Sadar upazila on condition of anonymity said they could neither accept nor dishonour her list. Most of the people on the list are activists of Jatiya Party, the chairmen said. Chairman of Rajendra Union Parishad Moqbul Hossain said, “We are in an embarrassing situation because most of the people on the list do not deserve VGF relief.” Sadar upazila Nirbahi officer Mostain Billah told this correspondent that he asked each union VGF committee to detect if the people on the list really deserve food relief or not. Sader Upazila Parishad Chairman Mostafizar Rahman, also the chairman of the upazila VGF committee, said Raushan Ershad has no right to prepare the list of beneficiaries. As per rules, the union VFG committee is to prepare a list of the vulnerable people. The list is to be sent to upazila VGF committee for approval. Before approval, the upazila committee will inform the parliament member of the respective constituency about the steps taken by the union committees. When contacted, Raushan Ershad said, “People of my constituency may expect something from me. I sent the list to the union committees. It doesn't mean that the committees will have to bring all on the list under VGF programme. They may exclude those who don't deserve it.”