It seems the State Government has no idea about details like the number of beneficiaries of its ambitious Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) scheme. It failed to respond to questions put forward to it under the Right to Information Act regarding the number of beneficiaries and the amount extended under the scheme.
Manorama News reported that an attempt to approach the State Information Commission too turned futile, as the applicants are gearing up to move the High Court, seeking a direction to the Government to reveal the details of applications and the financial assistance doled out under the scheme.
The applicants, via the Right to Information Act, wanted to know the total number of applications received under the scheme during the period from 2016 to 2021 and the total amount disbursed out of the distress relief fund.
The RTI application, submitted to the Chief Secretary, was handed over to the Revenue department.
When asked about the delay, the concerned officials replied that they are still engaged in collecting the information.
Though the applicants approached the State Information Commission, the authority failed to respond.
The Government not revealing the figures at a time when it’s facing allegations of serious lapses in the utilization of the fund is mysterious.
The administration in 2022 revised the criteria for applying for assistance, taking into consideration the huge number of applicants.
