Horrible Performance of Shashiprava Bindhani, former SIC, Odisha

 

RTI-based Monitoring  of Performance of ShashiPrava  Bindhani , Former State Information Commissioner ( From June 2015 to June 2020).

·        Ms. Bindhani has  devoted only 13 days in a month   for  hearing  of the case.

·        Only 26% of cases disposed   out of  total no. of cases  fixed  for hearing by Ms. Bindhani.

·        Only 58 cases disposed  by her per month ( 4 cases per day).

·        Ms. Bindhani has received Rs. 3800/- per  disposing a single case

·        Cost for  disposal of a single case is Rs. 3800.00 taken by Ms. Bindhani

1.        Cost per day of hearing of the case is Rs. 15,000 taken by Ms. Bindhani.

2. ·     Ms. Bindhani has imposed penalty only in 10 no. of cases out of 3499 cases disposed.

3. ·      Percentage of imposition of penalty in total disposed cases is less than 0.0005.

Dear  friends

As part of our  campaign  to monitor  activities  of public authorities  as empowered under RTI Act , Sri Maheswar Mohanty of Mayurbhanj  district  has  filed RTI Application in the  office  of Odisha Information Commission seeking information about performance  of Sashiprava Bindhani  who completed  her  5 yars tenure as Information Commissioner in June,2020. On 15.10.20, the PIO supplied the  following information.

1.       Year-wise Salary and allowances received by Shashiprava Bindhani  former State Information Commissioner

Year	Amount  ( In Rs.)
2015 (From June 2015)	11,28,897.00
2016	21,50,900.00
2017	22,27,200.00
2018	31,80,240.00
2019	30,42,000.00
2020 ( upto  June)	16,07,875.00
Total	1,33,37,112.00

 

 

2.      No. of  Complaint and Second Appeal caes heard and disposed  by Ms. Shashiprava Bindhani, SIC

Year	Total no. of days devoted   for hearing	Total no. of Complaint and SA cases heard	Total no. of Complaint and SA cases disposed of	Remarks
2015 ( June to Dec.)	87	911	125	She joined  in Commission from June 2015.
2016	166	2298	420
2017	189	3311	818
2018	185	3156	918
2019	188	3494	798
2020(Upto to June)	46	913	420
Within five years	861	13,172	3499

 

3.       As per  the section 20(1) of the RTI Act, the Commission is empowered to impose penalty on erring PIOs. But Ms. Bindhani has imposed penalty on PIOs only in 10 cases out of 3499 disposed cases within 5 years.

 

4.        As per  the section 20(2) of the RTI Act, the Commission is empowered to recommend disciplinary proceedings against  the PIOs who repeatedly violates RTI Act. But astonishingly, Ms. Sashiprava Bindhani has not recommended  disciplinary proceedings  against erring PIOs.

 

5.       As per section 19(8)(b) of the RTI Act, the Commission can award compensation  to  the appellant/ complainant for loss  suffered  due to denial of information by the PIO. But Ms. Bindhani has not awarded  a single pie  compensation to any aggrieved citizen.

                Pradip Pradhan

               M-9937843482

             Date-23.1.21

Huge loot of Foodgrains under NFSA through fake beneficiaries in Odisha

 

Unremitted  Balance amount  returned  back   against  sanctioned  amount of   COVID  Assistance ( Rs. 1000/-  for  each Card  Holder)   for beneficiaries  covered  under  NFSA and  State Food Security  Scheme in Odisha

 

Total amount of Rs. 955, 16, 95,022.00 sanctioned for 95,51,695  families  on 6.4.20

Dear  friends

Just after  imposition of  lockdown  due  to  COVID  pandemic, Chief Minister  declared  COVID assistance  Rs. 1000.00  for  each  card  holders  (  all NFSA and SFSS  beneficiaries ) in the  State.  In the  month  of June, 2020, RTI  Application was  filed  to the  offices  of all  Collectors seeking  information  about  total amount  released  to the  district  for  providing  COVID assistance  Rs. 1000 for  distribution among the beneficiaries, total no. of  card holders  in the district, total amount  disbursed  and  amount  returned  back .

 From August  to December, 2020,  the  following  districts  and few blocks  provided  the  information.  Many  districts  did not  supply  any  information. From analysis  of the  information which  is presented below , it  was  observed that

A.      On 6.4.20,  the  State  Govt.  released  Rs. 955  crore to  provide COVID assistance Rs. 1000.00   for 95  lakh  families in the state.

B.      It  was  found that  huge amount  of money  returned back, as there  was no beneficiary  to receive the money.

C.       Large  number  of  fake  beneficiaries  have been enrolled  in NFSA  list  in each  district   for  which  the  amount  could  not  be  delivered. Almost all the  district  and Blocks  have  returned  the  money, as  they  could  not  find any  such beneficiaries.

D.     There are around 10,000  fake  beneficiaries  only  in Bhubaneswar  listed  by Govt. to loot  food  items  sanctioned  under NFSA  by the Central  Govt.

E.      Thousands  of quintals  of rice and wheat are  looted by officials and leaders  of  Biju Janata Dal  in the name of  these fake  beneficiaries.

F.       It  is estimated  that  there are 2,50,000  fake beneficiaries enrolled  in NFSA  list  across the  state to  loot foodgrains  under NFSA and SFSS .

G.     Hundreds  of crores  of rupees  are  looted in the  name of fake  beneficiaries enrolled  in each district .

H.     This  is one of the Mega Scams  in Odisha

 

Sl.No	Name  of  district/ Block	Total  no. of  family Beneficiaries  under NFSA  and SFSS	Total amount  sanctioned  to district / Block  for  COVID Assistance (Rs.)	Total  beneficiaries  received	Total amount  paid (Rs.)	Amount returned back ( Rs.)  as there was no beneficiary  to receive  it. (Rs.)
1	Kendrapara  District ( Information supplied  on 20.7.20)	3,10,500	31,05,00,000	3,03,029	30,30,29,000	1,00,77,464 ( 10,077 families)
2	Ganjam District ( Information supplied  on 15.10.20)	7,61,951	76,19,51,907	7,45,184	74,51,84,000	1,26,26,000 ( 12,626 families)
3	Balasore  District ( on 16.11.20)	5,05,998	50,59,98,705	4,96,458	49,64,58,000	95,40,705 (9,530 families )
4	Nabarangpur ( on 5.11.20)	3,16,533	31,64,04,568	3,10,768	31,07,68,000	56,36,568 ( 5636 families )
5	Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation( on 10.12.20)	1,00,164	10,01,64,000	90,355	9,03,55,000	98,09,000 (9809 families)
6	Khurda  district ( 10.12.20)	2,93,071	30,13,39,148	2,91,769	29,17,69,000	95,70,148 (9570 families)
7	Kalahandi  district (17.11.20)	4,01,824	40,18,24,689	3,95,667	39,56,67,000	61,57,689 ( 6,157 families )
8	Nayagarh  district (24.11.20)	2,19,263	21,92,63,000	2,14,781	21,47,81,000	44,82,000 (4482 families )
9	Puri district	3,53,331	35,33,31,000
10.                                  Koraput  district
a.	Lamatput Block of Koraput  district ( 14.10.20)	18,280	1,82,80,000	18,262	1,82,62,000	18,000 (18 families)
b.	Kotpad Block   ( on 8.9.20)	27,311	2,73,72,000	27,185	2,71,85,000	1,87,000 (187  families)
c.	Potangi  Block    ( On  9.10.20)	19,808	1,98,08,000	19,661	1,96,61,000	1,47,000 ( 147  families)
d.	Koraput  Block ( on 5.10.20)	20,066	1,97,78,000 ( Amount  was not  sanctioned  for 288  families)	19,778	1,97,78,000	NIL
e.	Borigumma Block	42,412	4,24,86,000	42,412	4,24,12,000	74,000
f.	Bandhugaon  Block	17,890	1,79,40,000	17,885	1,78,85,000	55,000 (55 families)
11. Rayagada  district
a.	Bisamcuttack Block of Rayagada district  ( on 1.12.20)	27,664	2,74,80,000.00		2,74,49,000	31,000 ( 31 families)
b.	Kalyansingh Pur  Block  of Rajagada  district ( 4.12.20)	17,978	1,81,91,000	17,745	1,77,45,000	4,46,000 (446  families )
c.	Ramanguda Block  of Rayagada district  ( 2.11.20)	14,229	1,42,67,000	14,156	1,41,56,000	1,11,000 ( 111 families)
d.	Rayagada Block ( 12.11.20)	32,430	3,23,40,000	31,779	3,17,79,000	5,61,000 (561 families)

 

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date-22.1.21