Zakat: Measures to check misuse

Hyderabad: Worried with the way Zakat amounts go unaccounted, a group of software professionals, RTI activists and social workers from the city have started working on a database of the poor and needy.

Named, “Direct Zakat Movement,” the pilot project is gathering basic details of the needy from the city. Phone numbers, addresses, Aadhar ID numbers, bank accounts etc., have been collected and these will be uploaded and made available on their website.

Mr Ishaaq Mansoor, a software engineer from the city is working on the website, which will be launched on Friday and donors can directly contact those who are in need of money.

Speaking about why they started the initiative, one of the founder members, Mr Mohammed Shamsi, said, “A substantial portion of Zakat never reaches the people; it is either siphoned off by middlemen or spent on non-essentials.”

“Also, there is hardly any accountability of where the Zakat money usually goes. And we have time and again heard of Zakat mafias who come to your doorstep claiming that they are in need. Keeping all these in mind, we have taken up this initiative to avoid that” he added.

Details of people from slums in and around Shaheennagar, Mir Mahmood Ki Pahadi, Hafeez Babanagar and Karwan Jirra have been collected till now.