This does not look right at all. There are so many unemployed and cannot afford to buy books or go to school.
Authorities should do a better job categorizing the BPL folks in Saligao/Goa. Instead of filling their pockets, they should develop the community. An Emergency Center in Saligao is also a TOP priority. Seby Mascarenhas --- Frederick Noronha <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Just eight people currently BPL in Saligao village > > SaligaoNet > > SALIGAO, July 23, 2006: Believe it or not, there are > just eight > persons on the 'Below Poverty Line' list in Saligao > village currently. > So, has poverty vanished from the village? Is the > situation being > glossed up simply by making it tough for entering > this list? Or, are > the authorities not doing a thorough job of deciding > who actually > deserves assistance needed by people on such a list? > > This fact emerged at a Saligao gram sabha (village > council meeting) > held on Sunday morning, July 23, 2006. There was > some disbelief > expressed that only so few were on this list in the > village. > > While the government tends to make people feel > helpless about the > poverty, by encouraging the hand-out culture, the > fear among some is > also that those who actually deserve to be on the > list might not be > actually included. > > There is a complex set of 13 factors which decides > whether someone can > be included in the BPL (below-poverty line) listing > or not. Different > categories of BPL persons are listed, but the > maximum a family can > earn to be included in this list is a total of Rs > 2500 per month. > > Panchayat secretary Naik read out the names of the > eight persons > included on this list. Someone present claimed that > one of the eight > had since died. Later, panchayat members and > villagers were seen > discussing the arrival of forms to apply for BPL > status. To ensure > transparency in the system, names of > BPL-beneficiaries are to be made > available to the villagers and discussed publicly, > as done at today's > meeting. > > Other issues raised at the gram sabha included: > > * Proposal to widen the road leading to Lourdes > Convent, tok avoid > traffic congestion (mainly witnessed after school > hours). Panchayat > secretary Naik said this was being referred to the > PWD, after passing > a resolution at the gram sabha. > > * Issue of having a playground near Lourdes Convent. > Secretary Naik > argued that this was a "land problem". When the LCHS > sisters suggested > the playground could be infront of the school, the > panchayat secretary > asked whether it was private land or whom it > belonged to. > > He said that there was government grant making funds > available for > playgrounds and mini-stadia, where a minimum area of > 400 square metres > was available. > > A communidade member raised the possibility of > giving one of three > plots, on the road leading to Mapusa. But others > asked for a firm > commitment from the comunidade, and said the plot > should be closer to > the inhabitation area of the village. > > One comunidade member said the cost of filling, > levelling the > Sonarbhat land would be too costly. Panchayat member > Roland also felt > the land should be nearby to the school. It was > pointed out that > objections had come to having the playground infront > of Lourdes > Convent, but one viewpoint was that objections would > come "from > anywhere". > > * Lourdes Convent's third proposal was to ask the > panchayat to offer > help to economically backward students to bear the > burden of buying > books, uniforms and umbrellas. > > Panchayat secretary Naik said that there was a > "financial problem" > over this, and it could be looked into next year. > When asked what the > "financial problem" was he, said allocation of > funds needed to be > done in advance. > > In response to a general question on the panchayat > budget, Naik said > the main expenditure was on roads and the like. He > noted that a > detailed listing of expenditure had been given at > the last gram sabha > meeting. > > * Another proposal came from the Government Primary > School (the > 'shala', formerly called the 'aula' in Portuguese > times) to help paint > the school. The primary school also said that leaves > keep falling in > its well, and hence it needed financial assistance > to install a net > over the well. > > Panchayat secretary Naik said the Zilla Panchayat > (district-level > body) had a special fund to maintain school > buildings, and that this > proposal would be referred to them. > > * Lack of street-lighting in D'Mello Vaddo. > > * Improvement of the Grande Morod main road leading > to Arpora. > > * Bharat, a visually-handicapped villager, was bold > enough to raise > the issue of the road leading to Salmona. Other > villagers raised an > issue of what they said was an "illegal" road > passing through Grande > Morod. The issue of cementing the surroundings of > the Laxmi Narayan > Temple was also raised. > > * Panchayat officials clarified that they do not > have to foot the bill > for streetlighting, which is borne by the state > government. But the > issue of switching on of streetlights very early in > the evening (as > early as 5.30 pm) and switching-off the same very > late (at 8.30 or 9 > am) was a waste of energy. > > Panchayat member Roland said Saligao's electricity > department lacked > its resident staff. "We had five staff. Two died and > one retired," > said Roland. "We need one of our boys from Saligao, > posted outside the > village, to be posted here so that they could take > care of this > issue." > > But villagers called on the panchayat to find a > solution, if necessary > by approaching the electricity department and > proposing automatic > switch-on-switch-off sunlight-triggered switches. > > The meeting, which started just before 10.30 am > ended a little after > 11.15 am, with a vote of thanks by sarpanch Mary. > (ENDS) > -- > GOAPHOTOSGROUP: > http://www.flickr.com/groups/goaphotos/ > _______________________________________________ > Saligao 403511 website http://saligao.goa-india.org > Saligaonet mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.goacom.org/mailman/listinfo/saligaonet > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! 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