Last Updated: 17th March 2015
VELLORE: In what may be a case of the microcosm representing the macrocosm in the country, 25,000 villagers in 34 villages in Pudur Nadu, Pungampattu Nadu and Nellivasal Nadu panchayats in Jawadhu Hills (within Tirupattur Taluk) often find it impossible to avail of generous government welfare schemes in the absence of proximity of banks, the sorry state of infrastructure and transportation and a general apathy of officials responsible for ensuring that welfare schemes are reaching remote villages and tribals.
Central and State Governments now require that funds available through welfare schemes are electronically transferred to beneficiaries’ bank accounts to expedite not only delivery but also to weed out corruption.
However, the absence of even a single nationalised bank in Jawadhu Hills has made it almost impossible for potential beneficiaries living in and around Jawadhu hills to avail of the schemes.
The nearest nationalised banks are located in Alangayam and Tirupattur, which are 35 to 60 kms from Pudur Nadu. With poor transportation facilities and bad roads compounding the total indifference of officials toward villagers living in the hinterland, villagers in these areas are being deprived of their opportunity to become part of a resurgent India.
“The Indian Bank had a branch in Pudur Nadu for nearly four years from 1991 but it was shifted to Tirupattur in 1996. Now, the Central Government want all welfare schemes to be linked to individual bank accounts. But, we are not provided with facilities to open bank accounts here,” said A Thukkan of Pudurnadu.
The 34 villages in the three panchayats boasts of 31 schools including some run by the Forest Department and others by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department.
“We are finding it difficult to help students get Schedule Tribe(ST) scholarships. Unless the student has a bank account in his or her name, he or she will not receive the scholarship which now has to be directly deposited into the bank account,” said a teacher in a Forest Department school in Pudurnadu.
The teacher added that a number of parents have migrated to metro cities - Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruppur in search of employment leaving their children behind.
“In such situations, we try and help students open bank accounts. We collect the forms and necessary documents, and go to the banks on behalf of the students to open accounts in their name. On several occasions banks have asked us to come back another time. After a few such trips, teachers get fed up even though they want to help the students and they just give up. Students are then deprived of their legitimate scholarships,” added the teacher.
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