MAZAR-I-SHARIF - The government of northern Balkh province has failed to provide families of martyrs and special people financial support over the past two years.
They were to be paid 20 million afghanis by the Labour, Social, Martyr and Disabled Affairs Department over the past 24 months, the impoverished households said.
For the past two years, at least 70 disabled people and 814 family members of martyrs have not received their stipends in Balkh province.
Pari, a 30 years old woman who lost her husband to the war, told Pajhwok Afghan News she had not been paid her monthly stipend for the past two years.
She said her children had lost the cheque, but despite many requests and production of the requisite documents, the department concerned had not yet addressed her problem.
Nazar Mohammad (46), a resident of Mazar-I-Sharif who lost his leg to a roadside bombing, also complained of non-payment of salary for the past two years.
“I come once every three days to the Labour, Social, Martyr and Disabled Affairs Department, but the officials concerned have been subjecting me to delaying tactics day,” he alleged, saying he could not afford to pay the transport fare.
Mohammad accused the department employees of taking bribes from them some years ago. But several months ago, they stopped the illegal practice.
Meanwhile, the relevant officials confirmed their failure to release 20 million afghani payable to war-affected people. They said the process had been delayed for multiple reasons.
The department’s acting director, Matiullah Matin, said 11,500 relatives of martyrs registered with his office were paid annually.
He added 3,000-3,500 people with disability and 7,000-8,000 kin of martyrs registered with his department received their payments annually.
However, Matin admitted 814 relatives of martyred and 70 disabled people were yet to receive their stipends.
He linked the non-payment to the recipients’ failure to visit the department, get registered or problems in their documents.
Matin explained they had not paid the registered individuals for two years, because the Ministry of Labour, Social, Martyr and Disabled Affairs was yet to give them the go-ahead.
The database for registering disabled and families of martyrs was created last year. Most of those who did not receive payments had problems in their documents, the director concluded. (Pajhwok)