In the last fiscal year, around 5,000 locals, including senior citizens, widows, physically challenged and Dalit children of 43 VDCs in the district had been deprived social security allowance due to budget crunch. [break]
The government has been distributing social security allowance in three phases. In each phases, the locals are provided allowances of four months at a time.
In the current fiscal year, there is a shortage of around Rs 40 million as the government had released only Rs 2.1 billion of total Rs 2.6 billion needed for the purpose.
“Hundreds of locals would be deprived of the social security allowance as the government did not release sufficient budget on time,” said Harihar Chaudhary, chief of Social Security Allowance Program in the DDC.
Chaudhary said DDC has urged the Ministry of Local Development (MLD) to release the remaining budget but to no avail. “Due to budget shortage, DDC has not been able to distribute the last installment of social security allowance.
According to Social Security Program Working Procedure 2065, local authorities should distribute the last installment of social security allowance by May 29. But due to the budget crunch, the DDC is yet to distribute the last installment in all the 113 VDCs of the district.
There was a shortfall of Rs 64.86 million for distribution of social security allowance in the last fiscal year, according to the DDC.
As the DDC had failed to provide distribute social security allowance in previous years as well, target groups in the district have been organizing various protest programs.
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