GUWAHATI, Apri1 1 – The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity
(KMSS) on Monday dedicated the National Manjunath Shanmugam
Integrity Award, which carries Rs 1 lakh and a citation,
to the people of the State.
The award was won by KMSS general secretary Akhil Gogoi
for unearthing the loopholes in the Public Distribution
System (PDS) and the rampant corruption that was depriving
the common people from their due benefits with the help
of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Making the announcement before mediapersons, the KMSS functionaries
said that the cash would be used for expansion and strengthening
of the farmers’ movement in the State. Gogoi, who was
present at the press meet said that the award was recognition
of the common people’s fight against corruption and
it has encouraged the KMSS to continue with its efforts
to expose the irregularities in the system with the aid
of the law of the land.
“Compared to other States, the PDS is more corrupt
in Assam and this has deprived the needy people of their
due benefits,” said Gogoi.
It needs to be mentioned here that the Government has already
ordered thorough enquiries in the PDS in all the districts
of the State after the KMSS came out with documents of irregularities
that was wide spread in the PDS in Golaghat, Jorhat and
Sivasagar.
The KMSS said that the anomalies were rampant in the rural
development department and announced that very soon it would
reveal the corruption in the department like it did in the
PDS if the State Government did not take the necessary steps
to identify the corrupt officials and plug the loopholes.
“The benefits of the welfare schemes like the Indira
Awash Yojana, the SGRY, the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme etc have not reached the needy in the State,”
alleged Gogoi.
The KMSS has asked the Government to enquire into the anomalies
in the rural development department by April 10, warning
that any slackness on the part of the Government in this
regard would not be tolerated.
The KMSS said that it would start a vigorous movement after
the elapse of the deadline if the Government did not take
any step to check corruption in rural development department.
By The Assam Tribune, 2nd April.2008
