6,000 Beneficiaries Misused Mizoram’s Flagship Livelihood Scheme

Aizawl, Mar 13 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla admitted Thursday that 6,000-odd beneficiaries have not utilised money they received through his government’s flagship livelihood program as intended, meaning Rs 168 lakhs have “gone to waste.”

Speaking at the scheme’s revitalisation program in Aizawl, the state Congress head also said he expected a 60% success rate for the flagship scheme largely credited with winning his party a second consecutive term in power in the 2013 assembly polls.

The New Land Use Policy or NLUP seeks to dole out, in several instalments, Rs 1 lakh each in cash or kind to more than one lakh families, the criteria being beneficiary families have no member holding a government job.

Attacking it as one reason for Mizoram’s current financial difficulties, the state’s opposition parties have complained about the NLUP to the Union Finance Ministry and NITI Aayog saying the government is using it to seek votes by selecting families affiliated to the Congress party as beneficiaries.

NITI Aayog had last month asked the state for a detailed explanation, but NLUP Implementing Board Vice Chairman P L Thanga has claimed the Centre has additionally disbursed more than Rs 300 crores to Mizoram for further implementation of the scheme after he explained the scheme’s benefits to officials there.

The government has over the past two days held “NLUP revitalisation programs” in six of the state’s eight districts to mark the doling out of funds to third and fourth phase beneficiaries.

Most of these programs have been led by Cabinet Ministers, and they have all spoken about how beneficiaries must use the funds for the intended purpose of livelihood enhancement.