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| Humble Budgam villager receives CNN IBN award | | Had exposed a scam through RTI Act | | ET Plus Report
SRINAGAR, Mar 9: A poor villager from Kutabal village of Budgam has won the CNN IBN Citizen Journalist award for the year 2012 in the fight against corruption category. Fayaz Ahmad Wani, 36, a semi illiterate man from small hamlet of Kutabal Chadoora in central Kashmir's Budgam district used RTI Act to expose a scam of Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) wherein lacks of rupees were swindled by local Sarpanch and the officials of Rural Development department who instead of providing the money to the poor homeless people to construct houses distributed it among the relatives of the Sarpanch last year .
An amount of Rs 5.53 lacks was recovered by the Government after the news broke out in the press. The local media and the CNN IBN had highlighted this issue and Fayaz himself became a citizen journalist (CJ) to expose the scam.
While speaking at the function recently at Taj Palace hotel in New Delhi, Fayaz said that he would continue to fight for justice of poor people and will use RTI to expose the corrupt.
Fayaz said he still receives threats from the criminal elements and appealed the civil society to come to his rescue. Noted Social Activist Anna Hazare, CNN IBN Editor in Chief gave away the citizen journalist award to Fayaz Ahmad.
RTI activist and founder of J&K RTI Movement Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat also accompanied Fayaz at the function. Dr Muzaffar said that it is a great achievement for a poor and illiterate man like Fayaz who didn't cow down before the pulls and pressures. J&K RTI Movement is soon going to felicitate Fayaz for this great achievement. Pertinent to mention that Fayaz wasn't allowed to enter into the village for three months last summer and his brother's medical shop was also sealed by the local Sarpanch who had issued a dikat against him and his family. |
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