Huge Diversion of CMRF for Aahaar Programme in Odisha

Huge Diversion  of CMRF for Aahaar Programme  in Odisha

( RTI Information dated 9.5.2019  from H& UD Department , Govt. of Odisha )

·         Though Aahaar Kendras  started from 1.4.2015,  the State  Govt. released  notification dt. 1.7.2015  in respect of  constitution of the General Body and the Executive Committee of  Odisha State  Aahaar  Society ( OSAS ).

·         But astonishingly, the 1^st General body meeting and Executive Committee meeting of Odisha State Aahaar Society was held on 5.2.19 , after around 4 years  of its constitution. These  bodies are  high-level bodies  formed  to  monitor the implementation of Aahaar programme and give strategic guidance  to District Aahaar Society.

·         A  sum of Rs. 128,76,14,000 has been released  from CMRF  for Aahaar  programme, a so-called  populist programme  of State Govt. for  creating  vote bank. Govt. could  have made budgetary provision  for  this programme without  diverting  fund from CMRF  which  is mostly  used  for giving financial support  to the needy  poor  people and render support  to the  disaster-affected  people. 

Dear friends

When  the State  Govt. gave a public  call  seeking  donation for Chief Ministers’ Relief  Fund to meet  Fani disaster  expenses, we   had appealed  the  people  not  to  give  any  contribution to  CMRF  by  making allegation  of  misuse  of  CMRF  fund  by  Chief  Minister, Odisha   and  requested  the people to  donate  directly to   the  affected   people  and NGOs  working with    a lot  of  hardship  in the  cyclone-affected  areas.

I am  presenting  a  test case  of  huge  misuse  of Chief Minister’s Relief  Fund for Aahaar Yojana, a populist programme  designed for  creating  vote bank  for Nabin Patnaik Govt.

On 15.3.19.,  I had  filed RTI  Application  to the PIO, office  of  Housing and Urban Development, Govt. of Odisha  seeking  information about  details of  Aahaar programme,  details of  fund sanctioned from  CMRF, Funds  mobilized  from different sources etc. On 9.5.19., the PIO supplied the information which is as follows.

1.       Aahaar Programme  (  A cooked hot meal @Rs.5.00 at Aahaar Kendras) commenced from 1^st April,2015 with 21  Aahaar Kendras, up-scaled to 111 Kendras in 2016-17 and currently operating with 119 Kendras . Besides  that  the  feeding  programme at night  has  commenced  from 31^st December , 2018 in 56 Aahaar Kendras  located in the Hospitals.

2.       To  manage  Aahaar  programme, Aahaar Society in name of Odisha State  Aahaar  Society ( OSAS)  at state level  was formed  under  chairmanship  of  Chief  Secretary, Govt. of Odisha  with  the responsibility  of giving strategic guidance  to District Aahaar  Societies  at   district level in planning, managing and monitoring  the Aahaar  Scheme in the urban areas to address  hunger of needy  urban poor by provisioning of cooked hot meals at affordable price by tapping of donors  and mobilise  funds from Corporate, industries, philanthropic donors, , voluntary  organisations,  residential welfare  associations, volunteers as well as well-wishers dovetailing of funds or benefits  from other  Govt. programme.

3.         The  State  Govt. has increased the  cost of meal from Rs. 20/- to Rs. 23.00.

4.       Source  of funding towards AAHAAR PROGRAMME  upto 31.3.2019.

Fund  received  from /Date	Amount  in Rs.	Total in Rs.
Special Problem Fund , Planning & Convergence Department  dated 13.3.2015	3,20,00,000	3,20,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 27.9.16	1,47,30,000	10,52,20,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 16.11.16	2,25,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 7.3.17	2,14,40,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 14.3.17	10,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 12.9.17	3,97,50,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 21.3.18	1,50,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 21.3.18	2,35,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 21.3.18	12,50,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 9.7.18	1,85,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 5.11.18	42,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 20.11.18	1,70,00,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 20.3.19	3,68,26,000
M/s Aditya Birla Group dated 20.3.19	16,74,000
IDCO dated 19.4.17	1,00,00,000	1,34,11,011
IDCO dated 26.4.17	34,11,011
Chief Minister Relief  Fund  dt. 26.10.16	20,00,00,000	128,76,14,000
Chief Minister Relief  Fund  received by OSAS dt. 3.10.17	20,00,00,000
Chief Minister Relief  Fund received by OSAS  dt. 13.7.18	5,39,00,000
CMRF  fund directly sent to District Aahaar  Society  on 6.1.16	43,24,44,000
CMRF  fund directly sent to District Aahaar  Society   dated  3.3.16	19,62,70,000
CMRF  fund directly sent to District Aahaar  Society  on 3.3.16	50,00,000
CMRF  fund directly sent to District Aahaar  Society   on 18.1.19	20,00,00,000
M/s Crackers India Alloys Ltd. dated 17.9.18	1,00,00,000	3,00,00,000
M/s Crackers India Alloys Ltd. dated  17.9.18	1,00,00,000
M/s Crackers India Alloys Ltd. dated 5.12.18	1,00,00,000
Runguta Sons Pvt. Ltd. dated 27.12.18	10,00,00,000	10,00,00,000
Total		156,82,45,011

5.        Fund  released  to District Aahaar Society / City Aahaar  Society  by 31.3.19

Sl.No.	Name of DAS/ CAS	Total
1	Angul	3,74,50,224
2	Bolangir	4,13,52,500
3	Balasore	4,71,73,827
4	Baragarh	3,72,16,500
5	Boudh	1,47,82,500
6	Bhadrak	2,48,15,000
7	Cuttack	10,23,71,630
8	Dhenkanal	4,36,31,873
9	Deogarh	16,12,7500
10	Gajapati	2,46,57,500
11	Ganjam	18,67,27,169
12	Jagatsingh Pur	3,57,15,000
13	Jajpur	4,57,15,000
14	Jharsuguda	3,56,24,000
15	Kalahandi	3,58,57,000
16	Kandhamal	4,07,52,362
17	Kendrapara	2,61,19,233
18	Keonjhar	6,44,32,500
19	BMC, Bhubaneswar	7,90,32,997
20	Khurda	5,66,50,329
21	Koraput	4,94,60,493
22	Malakangiri	2,71,27,500
23	Mayurbhanj	6,31,91,012
24	Nawarangpur	3,42,20,500
25	Nayagarh	2,86,95,500
26	Nuapara	3,33,05,000
27	Puri	4,27,65,000
28	Rayagada	3,64,15,000
29	Sambalpur	9,58,44,412
30	Subarnapur	4,08,75,000
31	Sundargarh	9,34,11,636
Total		154,15,15,697

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 13.5.19

Traffic violations and fine realized from violators in Bhubaneswar

Details of Traffic violations and fine realized from violators in Bhubaneswar (from 2015 to 2018)

Dear friends

RTI Application dated was  filed to  the PIO, Dept. of Home seeking  the  following information.

·          Provide    information about details of procedure to be followed by the police for  collection of fees for violating traffic Rules  in Bhubaneswar.

·          If someone violated traffic Rules, what are the legal steps to be taken against him/her  by the police and provide   details of penal provision for it.

·          Provide information about details of actions of the people to be construed  as violation of traffic rules  by the police  and details of office and penal action against the violators.

·         Provide information about details of penalties collected from the people for  violating traffic Rules  and non-use of helmet ( year-wise).

·         Provide copy of the order issued authorizing  the police for  road-side checking of non-use of  helmet and  enforcing traffic rules from March to August 2018.  

·         Provide information about  total no. of people against whom penalty has been imposed for violating traffic Rules ( year-wise).

On 7.3.19.,  the PIO, office of  Deputy Commissioner of Police,  Bhubaneswar   provided the  following information.

A.      As per Motor Vehicle Act  and OUP Act, the  persons violating traffic Rules are liable  to be  fined.

B.      As per Govt.’s home Department latest notification dated 27.8.2016, the Assistant Sub-inspectors of police and Sub-Inspectors of police or attached to the traffic police stations within the police commissionerate area  or authorized by the Commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar  shall  be  competent to compound offences  punishable  under section 96  of the M.V.Act  within the territorial jurisdiction of the police commissionerate.

C.      Total no. of  violators  and total  fine realized  within last 4 years  is  as  follows.

Total Violators detected  under Motor Vehicle  offence and fine realized

Nature  of offence	2015		2016		2017		2018
	No. of violators detected	Fine realized	No. of violators detected	Fine realized	No. of violators detected	Fine realized	No. of violators detected	Fine realized
Drunken Driving	138	73,500	3317	16,38,200	1888	9,75,500	3245	16,43,200
Over speeding	566	2,83,000	1375	5,88,900	2170	8,81,500	3276	13,48,700
Redlight Jumping	1688	7,59,500	1843	5,72,500	1162	3,70,500	1780	7,54,950
Without Helmet	48045	83,55,600	70830	99,43,100	58492	89,08,600	138757	1,99,15,350
Without seat belt	4994	20,80,500	8226	21,54,300	4791	14,16,800	9071	28,63,000
Using Moble phone while driving	1123	4,46,000	1761	3,39,300	981	2,65,600	2312	8,68,500
Over loading	3852	5,97,900	3698	7,05,900	2823	4,07,500	5875	7,99,650
total	60406	1,25,96,000	91,050	1,59,42,200	72,307	1,32,26,000	164316	2,81,93,350

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 9.5.19

Direction of CWC to KISS to get registered under JJ Act

Outstanding Order of Child Welfare Committee,  Khurda to Authority of KISS to get registered under Juvenile Justice Act, 2015.

Bhubaneswar: 3.5.19., In a significant  development,  exercising power conferred under section 37 A of JJ Act, on 2.3.19., the additional Child welfare  Committee, Khurda  has  directed to Secretary, Kalinga Institute  of Social Science ( KISS), Patia, Bhubaneswar  to ensure  registration of the  institution under  section 41  of  Juvenile Justice ( Care and protection of  children ) Act 2015.  Similarly, direction has also  been issued  to the Collector, Khurda to take  immediate  and urgent  action to ensure  registration of KISS  under JJ Act.

The directive  of the  Additional CWC, Khurda  came  following  complaint  filed  filed  by Pradip Pradhan  along with  members  of Civil Society Groups dated 5.12.18  with  prayer  to take  all necessary  steps to bring KISS tribal school  within fold of  JJ Act.

Kalinga  Institute  of Social Science, a private institution located at Patia, Bhubaneswar  which  claims  to have housed 30,000 tribal  children  has not  been registered with  Women and Child Development  Department and Department of  SC and ST welfare , Govt. of Odisha.  As per  information obtained under RTI dated 13.11.18  in response to RTI  query  about  no. of  institutions registered under  section 41 of JJ Act  within  jurisdiction of Khurda district, the PIO, Dept. of Women  and Child Development  has  provided  list of 14 organisations registered  with Govt. But astonishingly, the name of KISS, Patia, Bhubaneswar does not figure   in the list. On 19.6.2017, while  submitting  the  inquiry report into alleged torture of children  in KISS  Hostel, the  CWC, Khurda  has  recommended  for  registration of KISS  in Tribal welfare  Department  and issued  necessary  direction to the  Collector, Khurda to take  steps  to get  it  registered  under JJ Act.

It deserves to  be mentioned here that as per Supreme Court direction, all the  institutions whether run by a state  government or voluntary organisations or NGOs which are meant either wholly or partially for  housing the  children in need of care  and protection , shall be registered  under  section 41 of the Juvenile  Justice ( Care  and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

But  KISS  institution  under control  of Achyuta Samant  has been constantly ignoring  order  of CWC  and  defying  law  of the  land without  getting it  registered.

Astonishingly,  despite  order  of  Additional CWC, Khurda, Secretary, KISS  has written a letter dated 18.4.19 to CWC, Khurda  in constant to  order  of CWC  that their  Institution need  not  be  registered  under JJ Act.  We  are waiting  to see what  legal action Additional CWC  will take  against  authority  of KISS  for  non-compliance of order of the CWC.

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 3.5.19