Mobile phones to aid infrastructure development (India)

Villagers in India suffering daily due to lack of good infrastructure can now initiate action by clicking a picture of the concerned area on their mobile phone, and forwarding the same to the Union ministry of programme implementation, reports ET.

Srikant Jena, minister for programme implementation, has said that they are working on a proposal so that a complaint can be filed through mobile phones. Anyone can take a picture of a substandard road constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, or a poor quality house built under the Indira Awas Yojana, and send it to them. The ministry will inquire and act.

He added that lower-level corruption in the implementation of central schemes is worrisome, as a large amount of the funds allocated for infrastructure development, does not reach the targeted segment. Jena claimed that it is important to monitor the transfer and utilization of funds at the lowest level to ensure that the funds are being used in the correct manner.

The move comes following gross misuse of funds in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Uttar Pradesh. The scam acted as a wakeup call for the ministry, which is now seeking to implement a system enabling regular monitoring of funds and quality inspection, at the low levels.