Nadia, 05 July (H.S.): Public resentment over the non-disbursal of benefits under the Annapurna Scheme continued to intensify in Shantipur, Nadia district. Days after women staged a protest against the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Shantipur Municipality, a large group of women on Sunday demonstrated outside the residence of a municipal employee, alleging irregularities in the selection of beneficiaries.

The protest took place in Ward No. 13 of Shantipur Municipality on Sunday morning.

The protesters alleged that genuine beneficiaries were being deprived of the scheme while the financial assistance was being credited to the accounts of selected individuals who, according to them, were not eligible.

Claiming that they fulfilled all eligibility criteria under the Annapurna Scheme, the women said they had not received any financial assistance so far. They alleged that several ineligible persons had already received the benefits.

Raising slogans and demanding immediate action, the women gathered outside the residence of Anup Banerjee, the inquiry officer for Ward No. 13 and a municipal employee.

The protesters further alleged that the beneficiary selection process lacked transparency and that the verification process had been carried out in a biased manner. Those who genuinely need government assistance are being deprived, while others have already received the money, one of the protesters said.

It may be recalled that a similar protest had taken place at the Shantipur Municipality a few days ago, when women surrounded the Chairman and Vice-Chairman over the same issue. Despite assurances from the authorities, the problem remained unresolved, prompting Sunday's demonstration outside the inquiry officer's residence.

Rejecting the allegations, municipal employee Anup Banerjee said he had no authority to make the final decision regarding the selection of beneficiaries or the approval of payments. He explained that while some applications had been submitted online and others offline, they were verified before being either accepted or rejected.

Banerjee said he was not responsible for deciding why certain applications were rejected or why all beneficiaries had not received the payments simultaneously. He advised the protesters to visit the municipal office on Tuesday and meet the senior officials, who would be able to explain the matter in detail.

The protesters have demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations and appropriate action if any irregularities are found.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey