The government's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme seeks to improve the child sex ratio
Fake government forms promising cash benefits in "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" or BBBP scheme surfaced in Nadia district, despite the government ordering a CBI investigation into such complaints last month. Though there was no provision for cash incentive in the BBBP scheme, some women assembled before the head post office here since yesterday with forms that falsely promised Rs 2 lakh for taking part in the scheme. The police had to be called in to maintain law and order.
"Women dropped the forms in stamped envelopes in the letter box. Some sent them through registered post and we were bound to receive it," said an official of the head post office, who did not want to be named. "We received over 200 application forms to be sent in registered post yesterday. We cannot tell you about today's figures," he said.
A district administration official said that there was a "mad rush" before the Ranaghat head post office and the postal authorities sought help. "We sent some police personnel including women there," the official said.
Nadia District Magistrate Sumit Gupta said the administration has been using a public address system since yesterday evening to make people aware that the money scheme was fake. "Government officials and people's representatives were also asked not to sign any such forms," Mr Gupta said.
One of the applicants in the queue, Shyamali Roy, said she came to know from someone that the Narendra Modi government would give Rs 2 lakh to girl students between 18 and 25 years for their studies.
Another applicant, Rita Roy, said she came to know about it from a neighbour who had got the information from the Internet. Both said they got the forms from photocopy shops.
The forms were sold at photocopy shops for Rs 6 to Rs 20, according to the applicants. District administration sources said they have closed some such shops in the area and warned the owners not to sell the fake forms.
The district magistrate said he heard about photocopy shops being the source of such forms and will take action against them. Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Raj said in the Rajya Sabha on April 6 that the a CBI probe was ordered after some fake BBBP forms with a false promise of cash incentive of Rs 2 lakh were received from Haryana, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Delhi and West Bengal.