Banarpal: The benefits of Mamata Yojana, the state government-sponsored programme aimed at providing financial assistance to poor pregnant women to ensure the good health of mother and baby, have failed to reach scores of beneficiaries in this block of Angul, a report said.
Official apathy has been attributed for the state of affairs. According to reports, the government provides `5,000 to each pregnant woman till delivery in four phases. The first phase payment of `1,500 is made to the bank account of the beneficiary six months after her conception whine the next payment is made three months after delivery. The remaining `2,000 is paid to the beneficiary in two phases.
Allegations are flying thick and fast that several beneficiaries have not yet been paid their financial aid.
According to sources in the office of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), over 100 women have not received their assistance till date. From 2012 till date, the department has registered 9,960 women under the scheme while 9,905 of them have been made eligible for benefits. In the first phase, 9,774 women have got the assistance while 131 have not yet received their first phase aid.
Similarly, 377 out of 9,468 have not been paid their aid in the second phase.
In the third phase payment, 751 out of 9,650 beneficiaries have not received their money.
Likewise, in the fourth phase, 9,323 women have become eligible to receive the incentives, but 1,105 of them are awaiting aid. Deprived of the financial benefits, many women have expressed their displeasure.
“Even four months after delivery, I have not received a single pie,” said Anita Nayak of Kuladi village.
Several other beneficiaries like Lipi Behera, Arati Nayak and Mamata Sethi of the same locality have failed to draw the benefits allegedly due to official apathy. They have taken up the issue with child development project officer Sanjukta Lenka. The CDPO stated that many beneficiaries have not been provided financial assistance due to technical problems.
“The higher-ups have been apprised of the problem so that the beneficiaries can be provided their payment early,” she said. PNN
