NSPA asked to recover 10m in wrongful single parent allowance
The report revealed that the state database is not connected well enough for the DJA and NSPA to share information on legibility of aid recipients.
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By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
The Auditor General's Office has directed the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA) to recover MVR 10.6 million that was given wrongfully to undeserving single mothers and fathers by the state.
The 2022 audit report of NSPA released by the audit office shows that MVR 18.4 million has been paid through NSPA till 2022 to many people who do not deserve state assistance.
The report said that in addition to single mothers and fathers, disability allowance and therapeutic treatment for such persons were also paid to those who did not deserve it.
The audit office advised NSPA to recover the money.
Thus:
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MVR 10 million as financial assistance to single mothers/fathers
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MVR 7.6 million as therapeutic treatment for people with disabilities
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MVR 234,294 as financial assistance to persons with disabilities
According to the report, NSPA has provided assistance or given additional funds to those who do not deserve it because there is no easy arrangement to share the information with NSPA when the beneficiary's circumstances change.
A recovery unit has been set up in the agency to recover such money but the unit has only one employee and the work is not done adequately, the audit report said.
The report said that out of the MVR 504,500 due to NSPA by December 2022, the audit sample checked that MVR 504,500 was the extra amount given between 2015 and 2018.
The report noted that:
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As of August 16 last year, none of the money had been recovered
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NSPA has not tried to recover the money as per the Finance Rules
In order to strengthen the aid system, the audit office has recommended that a system be put in place where aid to single mothers and fathers, assistance to disabled persons and assistance for disability treatment can be known to NSPA once the condition of the recipient changes.
Thus:
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Recommended to gather information on marriages and divorces via the family court and department of judicial administration
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It has been suggested that an integrated view should be set up in collaboration with state agencies to monitor deaths
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Asked to recover the dues as per the Finance Rules
The audit report also said that they had sent a list of people who received the single-parent aid to the family court to find out if the aid was given as per rules and if they are now married.
The audit office noted that it was clear from the information that a total of millions of Rufiyaa had been paid to 12 people who did not deserve the allowances till August last year.
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This is because there is no easy way to get information about marriages/divorces through family courts and DJA
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While aid recipients had agreed to inform the NSPA of changes in their living conditions, most single parents do not inform after marriage
To rectify this, the audit office has recommended that the amount be credited to the public account of the state by collecting it through employees who are negligent in providing financial assistance.
It has also suggested an integrated system to be put in place so that the NSPA can know about the change in the status of the aid recipients.
