RTI application reveals, a small village in Jamnagar district suggests a huge toilets scam is taking shape in Gujarat

Pankti Jog

A huge scam is suspected to be taking shape in Gujarat -- the scam to build toilets on paper. The first signs of the scam were visible in a small village in Jamnagar district, Nandana, situated in Kalyanapur taluka. "Things would have never come to light had a casual worker not filed a right to information (RTI) application in order to find out how many persons of the village had applied for grants to build individual toilets in their houses and how many of them were approved by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) under Government of India's total sanitation programme", said senior activist Pankti Jog of the Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel (MAGP), a state-based RTI NGO.

The casual worker, Rughabha, recently did receive the list of names who had been granted money, but the road to get the information was not easy. His decision to gather information on the persons who had applied for grant to build under toilets was followed by allurements to take back the application and threats. He had earlier applied for constructing a toilet in his house a year ago, but he failed to get positive response. This prompted him to re-apply this year, and he was told by the taluka development officer (TDO) that as he had already "received" the grant his application was rejected.

Significantly, Rughaba was not alone whose application was rejected. There were as many as 15 other applicants who had reapplied and their applications were rejected citing the same reason. This prompted Rughaba to take the leadership and file an RTI application before the TDO to give the list of beneficiaries of the total sanitation programme. Instead of the list, the local sarpanch threatened Rughaba, asking him why did he want the list. This made Rughaba to file a voice complaint on the MAGP's RTI helpline No, 9924085000, and lodged a complaint at the local police station. However, he was advised to move to safer place to ensure safety, as the sarpanch was "very close relative of political leader".

Shailesh Gandhi

Meanwhile, Rughaba's voice complaint was immediately taken note of, and a documentation of the case was prepared and sent to the Gujarat Information Commission (GIC), the District Superintendent of Police, the DRDA director, among others, with two specific demands -- immediate disclosure of information of the list of beneficiaries who got support for making toilets; and ensure protection of the citizen. The document was also circulated to a few RTI activists.

Jog said, "In this small village there are hundreds of names who have been listed as beneficiaries, but have never availed support. Rughaba is one of them, but he dared file a complaint about it to the TDO after seeking the list under RTI. After the intervention of the RTI helpline and the GIC, the sarpanch was arrested. This prompted the president of the block panchayat and the politician-relative, Pabubha Manek, a BJP MLA, to give phone up DSP, giving oral instructions to release him."

However, it was a call from former Central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi to the DRDA director which worked. The DRDA director was forced ask the TDO to release the information of the list of beneficiaries. "A scrutiny of the has revealed that as many 300 persons have been listed as beneficiaries but they have never received any benefit from the government to build toilets. If this is true of a small village, we fear, a similar scam is taking shape in other villages, too", Jog suspected.

The sarpanch was released on bail two days later. Jog said, "The villagers phoned us up to say that the RTI helpline indeed worked wonders. It has helped expose the sarpanch, who is close relative of the political leader. Thanks to timely intervention by Gandhi, the powerful political rulers stood exposed." Now, RTI activists have demanded to paste the list of beneficiaries on the panchayat notice board for all to see. "The DRDA director has agreed to do it orally, though he hasn't so far", alleged Jog, adding, "The list should have been made known under the RTI's proactive disclosure rules much earlier."

Comments

Sattvik Food Festival: Shouldn't one question notion of purity, cultural exclusion in food choices?

Recently, I visited the Sattvik Food Festival, an annual event in Ahmedabad organized by Anil Gupta, professor emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). I have known Prof. Gupta since 1993, when I sought an appointment to meet him a few months after joining The Times of India in Ahmedabad—one reason why I have always been interested in the activities he is involved in.

In lieu of tribute to Pritish Nandy, said to be instrumental in collapse of Reliance-controlled daily

It is widely reported that Pritish Nandy , journalist, author, animal activist, and politician, has passed away. While it is customary to pay tributes to a departing soul—and I, too, have joined those who have posted heartfelt condolences on social media—I cannot forget the way he treated me when he was editor of the Reliance-controlled Business and Political Observer (BPO), for which I had been working informally in Moscow.

Challenging patriarchy? Adopting maternal and marital surnames: Resistance continues

Anandiben Patel The other day, I was talking with a group of family friends. The discussion revolved around someone very close to me who had not changed her official name in documents, including her Aadhaar and passport, after her marriage. However, on social media and within her husband's family, she had adopted her husband's surname as a suffix to her own. I mentioned that there is a growing trend—though not yet widespread—where women prefer to retain their maiden names or add their maiden surnames alongside their husband's surname. Another emerging trend is where men choose to add their mother's name, or even their wife's name, to their own. This revelation surprised my family friends.

To be or not to be Sattvik: Different communities' differing notions of purity and fasting

This is a continuation of my last blog on Sattvik food. When talking about Sattvik, there is a tendency to overlook what it may mean to different sections of people around the world. First, let me redefine Sattvik: it means having a "serene, balanced, and harmonious mind or attitude." Derived from the Sanskrit word sattva, it variously means "pure, essence, nature, vital, energy, clean, conscious, strong, courage, true, honest, and wise." How do people achieve this so-called purity? Among Gujarati Hindus, especially those from the so-called upper castes who are vegetarians, one common way is fasting. On fasting days, such as agiyarash —the 11th day of the lunar cycle in the Vedic calendar—my close relatives fast but consume milk, fruit juices, mangoes, grapes, bananas, almonds, pistachios, and potato-based foods, including fried items. Another significant fasting period is adhik maas. During this time, many of my relatives "fast" by eating only a single me...

Shyam Benegal's Mathan a propaganda film that supported 'system'? No way

A few days ago, I watched Manthan, a Shyam Benegal movie released in 1976. If I remember correctly, the first time I saw this movie was with Safdar Hashmi, one of the rare young theater icons who was brutally murdered in January 1989. Back then, having completed an M.A. in English Literature from Delhi University in 1975, we would often move around together.

Barred premise allowed? 'Modi govt fails to seek release of fishermen languishing in Pak jails'

Are the Indian authorities or their Gujarat counterparts softening their stance toward NGOs that flag human rights concerns? I can't say for sure, as only recently the foreign funding license of one of the most prominent NGOs, Janvikas, headed by the well-known civil society leader Gagan Sethi, was canceled. This NGO has been working on livelihood issues for underprivileged sections of society for several decades.

Would Gujarat Governor, govt 'open up' their premises for NGOs? Activists apprehensive

Soon after I uploaded my blog about the Gujarat Governor possibly softening his stance on NGOs—evidenced by allowing a fisherfolk association to address the media at a venue controlled by the Raj Bhawan about India’s alleged failure to repatriate fishermen from Pakistani prisons—one of the media conference organizers called me. He expressed concern that my blog might harm their efforts to secure permission to hold meetings on state premises.

No to free thought? How Gujarat's private universities are cowing down their students

"Don't protest"—that's the message private universities across Gujarat seem to be conveying to their students. A senior professor told me that students at the university where he teaches are required to sign an undertaking promising not to engage in protests. "They simply sign the undertaking and hand it over to the university authorities," he said.

Beyond the Sattvik plate: Prof Anil Gupta's take on food, ethics, and sustainability

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a rather lengthy comment (I don't want to call it a rejoinder) on my blog post about the Sattvik Food Festival, held near the Sola Temple in Ahmedabad late last year. It came from no less a person than Anil Gupta, Professor Emeritus at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), under whose guidance this annual event was held.

Search This Blog