Amid the coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to provide needy people impacted by the Covid-19 crisis a cash assistance.
However, a UP member’s mobile number from Haimchar in Chandpur is next to the names of 25 needy people, who are in the list to get financial assistance announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Knowing that the payment will be made through mobile banking, Billal Akhan, UP member of Ward No. 3 of Algi South Union, has put his own mobile number next to the names of 25 beneficiaries.
This has raised anger and criticism in the upazila. Besides, the mobile numbers of UP members and leaders of different unions of the upazila are next to the names of multiple beneficiaries. There are also many allegations of kinship in the preparation of the list.
It has been learned that the list of beneficiaries was prepared through 6 union parishads of the upazila and submitted to the upazila parishad. Irregularities were revealed while checking and sorting the list prepared by the Union Parishad.
On the condition of anonymity, the concerned officials said that especially the UP members and party leaders of Algi South Union and North Algi Union left their family members and relatives mobile numbers’ next to the names of the beneficiaries.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ferdousi Begum said, “The lists were sent back to the Union Parishad to rectify as there were multiple mobile numbers next to several names. They have been asked to revise and submit the list. Even then, if they commit any irregularities, we will cancel their list.
UP member Billal Akhan said, “The list has been prepared by the Union Parishad. Maybe my number has been given because there is no mobile number of people there. I re-corrected the matter yesterday and submitted it to the upazila.”