A teacher takes a class at an anganwadi centre in Phulwarisharif near Patna. Picture by Deepak Kumar

A minister admitting irregularities in government agencies is rare. Even rare is a bureaucrat’s wife questioning the authorities on issues related to social justice. Parveen Amamullah is an exceptional individual on both the counts. She started as a social activist working for the Gujarat riot victims, went on to join the RTI campaign and today is the minister of social welfare in the Bihar government. In talks with The Telegraph, she dwells on issues concerning her ministry and her journey till date

Need to cleanse Anganwadi

The ambitious Anganwadi project launched by the state is mired in controversies today. What is your take on this?

There have been a number of complaints regarding alleged irregularities being carried out at the Anganwadi centres. Beneficiaries are not able to reap the full benefits of the scheme. There are complaints that 50 per cent of the Anganwadi centres provide only 30 per cent of the total allotted food. At times, the beneficiaries complain they do not get food from the Anganwadi centres.

The selection of Anganwadi sevikas has also run into controversies. There are rules for selection of the sevikas, like the person will be appointed from the caste which is in majority among the beneficiaries of a particular area. Many people allege that the Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) are biased towards candidates of their preferred castes. Such practices are highly condemned and the department is making sure to stop them.

There are also irregularities allegations against CDPOs? What do you have to say about that?

I accept there are complaints regarding corruption and misuse of funds by CDPOs. There are also allegations that the CDPOs, though posted in blocks, stay in their homes at district headquarters and do not conduct proper inspection of their areas. We are keeping a strict vigil on such ill-practices and continuous efforts are being made to improve the situation.

Check on trafficking

What steps have you taken to curb human trafficking in the state? Is there any permanent rehabilitation provision for the rescued victims of trafficking?

Human trafficking is a big issue in Bihar and the department is making all possible efforts to keep tabs on this issue. More rescue operations and raids are needed to be carried out in areas where women are suspected to be forced into prostitution and trafficking. We are training police officials to check such cases and handle them with sensitivity.

As far as rehabilitation of the rescued victims is concerned, there are short-stay homes for them. The victims are supposed to be sent back to their homes after three to six months. Few of them also get married. Although there is a scope of long-term rehabilitation, but we are imparting vocational training and skill development techniques to the victims so that they are able to generate livelihood for themselves and get absorbed in the society.

A number of the short-stay homes are not being fully utilised. For instance, if there is a 25-bed facility, only 5-15 beds are occupied at a time. In fact, there have been instances when the short-stay homes have been shut down as there are not enough people to use them.

What provisions are there for the welfare of mentally challenged people? Is there any full-fledged mental institution in the state?

We are working on a scheme called “Asra” for mentally challenged women wherein they would be provided food, lodging and recreational facilities at stay homes. The idea is to give the mentally challenged people a normal life.

What is the state of welfare in your constituency — Sahebpur Kamal?

The situation was below average in Sahebpur Kamal before I got elected from there. In the first two to three months, I had put in whole a lot of effort to improve the state of welfare in my constituency but much of the work got stalled due to code of conduct being enforced during the Panchayat elections in the past few months.

Prior to code of conduct, I had held numerous gram sabhas, wherein the mukhiyas were asked to share the status of various schemes being implemented in their villages. This is a system which will make the villagers more aware about the ways to reap the benefits of various government schemes. I am asking them to form their own vigilance committees to keep an eye on activities such as punctuality of teachers at schools, doctors at public health centers and Anganwadi sevikas at the centres. Despite all such efforts, I believe there is still a lot of scope for development of that place, which I would try to achieve in future.

Mid-day meal for lucky few

There have been allegations about irregularities in the mid-day meal scheme in Bihar. What is your take on this issue?

First of all, the mid-day meal scheme does not come under the domain of my department, but as far my constituency is concerned, the situation with respect to the scheme is pretty bad. We should have empowered the panchayat officials to take care of the mid-day meal amenities, instead, the mukhiya has all the powers, including the funds for such schemes. Lately, there have been a large number of complaints regarding misuse of such funds. If villagers and panchayat officials had been empowered, there would have been a more transparent system…

Committed to public service

You always seem to connect to the masses, especially the underprivileged people. How was your experience as a social worker?

After the Gujarat riots, I, along with few other intellectuals, started a non-government organisation named ‘Humlog’ which worked for peace, harmony and social bonding. Events like Gujarat riots, Kashmiri pandits’ evacuation or even Iraq war make us feel that politics is all about dividing people and breaking unity. Humlog was a platform where like-minded professionals, including doctors, professors and IAS officers, came together and worked for social harmony and secularism. We went to villages, held health camps, organised candle light processions in cities and sat on dharnas for the betterment of the masses.

What made you to become an RTI (right to information) activist and how was your experience as a whistleblower?

In 2003, we started a campaign called ‘Bihar Election Watch’ wherein we made arrangements for people to access information about their candidates. It was for a workshop for the same campaign in 2004 that we had invited many intellectuals to Patna, including Arvind Kejriwal. He told us about his experience related to RTI, which was not a central Act at that time. After hearing his RTI campaign experience, I thought this is what I want to do with my life.

When my husband was transferred to Delhi, I joined the RTI campaign for the next two years with Kejriwal. In 2006, my husband was again transferred to Bihar and by that time the RTI Act was implemented here as well. Hence, I started using RTI here as well. I wrote more than 100 letters to the health department regarding massive irregularities at PMCH. We raised issues pertaining to many government bodies and public sector agencies with the help of RTI and many issues got resolved.

Whistleblower politician

How did an RTI activist turned into a minister of the state?

Actually I had reached a level where things were not moving at all. I was using RTI as well as holding discussions with the authorities in order to make things better. However, soon I realised that majority of such efforts were going in vain and authorities were not accepting my ideas and suggestions and overall they were not trying to improve. There was a point when I felt like I cannot do anything now until and unless I get into the system. And then, in August last year, I was offered a ticket from Sahebpur Kamal and the party asked me whether I am ready to contest in the Assembly elections from this seat. I openly accepted the ticket. I thought as a member of Assembly I would be able to do little bit better but I did not know at that time that I would become a minister and get this portfolio as well. That was a complete surprise for me. However, I would like to clarify that I am still not a politician.

Lawfully compatible couple

You waged a war with the system in Bihar even when your husband was the home secretary of the state. Was their any clash of ideologies inside the house?

Not at all. Why would there be any clash of ideologies when both of us were abiding by the law. There were no issues at home as RTI is something totally legal, a right given to the citizens by the Constitution of India. Initially, the officers used to hesitate from sharing information with the public but there has been tremendous improvement in this regard. There still is a lot of scope for improvement.