-The Hindu
High-powered committees to be set up in all taluks
The State Government has decided to constitute high-powered committees in all taluks to check the eligibility of people selected under various rural housing schemes and also to select the beneficiaries if gram sabhas fail to do so within the stipulated time.
The decision to constitute the committee comes in the wake of large-scale complaints about irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries under rural housing schemes, ineligible beneficiaries being included in the list and submitted to Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation (RGRHC), the nodal agency, without the approval of the Vigilance Committee at the taluk level and inordinate delay in the selection process.
Official sources told The Hindu in Gulbarga city on Tuesday that the committee would be headed by the sub-divisional officer. It would also include taluk panchayat executive officer as vice-chairman, and tahsildar, social welfare officer, nodal officer of the respective taluks and gram panchayat officer or secretary of gram panchayat as members.
The committee will be empowered to prepare the list of beneficiaries if the selection is not done within the stipulated time by gram sabhas and submit the same to the Vigilance Committee at the taluk level for getting approval. If the Vigilance Committee does not give its approval on time owing to some unforeseen reasons, the committee will be empowered to approve the list and submit it directly to the RGRHC, according to the sources.
Inquiry
The sources said the committee would also be empowered to inquire into complaints with regard to the names of ineligible persons being included in the list that has been already approved and conduct an inquiry and recommend to the RGRHC to remove such names and initiate measures to recover the subsidy amount, if it already been released to such persons.
If the State Government releases special quota on houses in one particular taluk in special circumstances, the committee will be entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the beneficiaries selected by gram sabhas were eligible ones and directly submitting the list to the RGRHC.
The committee will also be empowered to conduct inquiry into complaints of irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries and take corrective steps.