New Delhi, June 24 (IANS) Accusing the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of indulging in corruption in the name of organising Kanwar camps, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced direct benefit transfer (DBT) and free electricity for organising committees that serve the Shiva devotees.

Addressing media persons after a Delhi Cabinet meeting, CM Gupta said, “The organising committees of Kanwar camps will get a single-window facility for clearance of their applications at district magistrate offices and approvals will be given within 72 hours.”

“We have decided to divide various camps into four categories – depending upon the size of the camp — and decided to release funds ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh, depending upon the capacity of the tent and the number of days for which the Kanwar facility will be organised,” she said.

“Almost half of the estimated expenditure will be released in advance to the organising committees,” she said, adding that the balance will be paid within three months of the filing of the utilisation certificate by the Kanwar committees.

She said her government wants to open a transparent process for registration of new Kanwar organisation committees, with the recommendation of the area legislator and MP.

She said a new committee as ‘Mukhyamantri Dharmik Utsav Samiti’, is being set up to handle matters related to supporting organisations that conduct religious events, adding that the panel will be headed by Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra and comprise four MLAs.

CM Gupta said under the AAP government, there was cartelization in the tender process for setting up facilitation centres for Kanwars, and due to rampant corruption, only 20 per cent of the crores of rupees of government funds meant for the devotees were being spent on them.

“When we invited suggestions from Kanwar facilitation committees, we were told that the setting up of water-proof tents was the most time-consuming and challenging due to the delay,” she said.

She said civil defence volunteers will serve at these camps and arrangements will be made for free 1,200 units of electricity, toilets and drinking water by the government.

Pointing to delayed payments against bills deposited by Kanwar camp organising committees under the AAP government, CM Gupta said payments dating back to four years were still to be cleared.

Last year, 170 Kanwar organising committees were funded by the Delhi government, she said.

Kanwar Yatra is one of North India’s most significant religious traditions, where millions of devotees collect holy Ganga water from Haridwar, Gangotri, and other sacred places to offer at Shiva temples in their native places.

Every year, thousands of Kanwar devotees pass through Delhi en route to other states. To welcome and accommodate them, Kanwar camps are set up across various parts of the city. They are offered resting areas, food and medical facilities at these camps set up along key roads used by the devotees to travel on foot.

–IANS

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