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6 June 2009, 18:00 PM

NATIONAL

About Tk 16 lakh government allowances for the poor disabled and elderly people in Kishoreganj upazila were returned allegedly due to lack of coordination between the Social Welfare Department and Union Parishad (UP) chairmen of the upazila. Upazila social welfare office sources blamed the UP chairmen for not finalising the lists of prospective beneficiaries in time while the latter said the social welfare office failed to coordinate the matter. In the current 2008-2009 FY also, a large amount of money allocated for the poor, disabled and elderly people of the upazila has remained undistributed and it faces the same fate as the two previous terms as the current fiscal year nears its end, sources said. Tk 3,09,600 was allocated for disbursement among 129 prospective beneficiaries in 2006-2007 fiscal year (FY), said sources at Kishoreganj Upazila Social Welfare Office. In FY 2007-2008, Tk 5,38,560 was allocated for 204 poor disabled people. The government also allocated Tk 7,02,240 for disbursement among 266 poor elderly people for the FY 2007-2008. During the two previous fiscal years, a total of Tk 15,50,400 meant for poor disabled and elderly people was returned from Kishoreganj upazila. However, the fund allocated for poor elderly people in the upazila in FY 2006-2007 was disbursed. According to government rules framed a couple of years ago, the fund allocated for any purpose should be disbursed within the same fiscal year otherwise it would be returned. When asked, Kishoreganj upazila acting Social Welfare Officer Sadekur Rahman Mondol said the funds were returned as the UP chairmen concerned failed to finalise the lists of beneficiaries in time. On behalf of the upazila's UP chairmen, Magura UP chairman Sohrab Hossain said the social welfare office concerned did not coordinate the work timely. Deprived of the allowances for a long time, around 600 poor disabled and elderly people in the upazila are passing their days amid utter misery.