Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 26: The State Vigilance Commission today convened a meeting with the Rural Development Department which has 3rd highest number of complaints/enquires pending disposal since long.
At the outset, Secretary SVC gave the details of 823 complaints/enquires and 19 RDAs pending in the various wings of the Department in which 73 complaints are lying with Administrative Department, 215 with Director RDD Jammu, 233 with Director RDD Kashmir, 41 with Police Department and 261 with other Departments besides 19 RDAs.
During discussion, it came to fore that Rs 900 crores per annum are provided by the Central Government under MGNREGA scheme for various developmental works of the rural areas but, the benefit of the said scheme does not reach to the actual beneficiaries due to lack of checks and balances at different levels of the Department.
Other schemes i.e. IAY (Indra Awaas Yojna) and SBA (Swachh-Bharat-Abhiyan) which are also meant for upliftment of rural areas do not yield desired results on ground. The issue of fake job cards also came under discussion and it was informed that the Central Govt. has directed for re-verification of all the job cards as around 40 % of the job cards have been suspected to be fake. The Commissioner Secretary in this regard informed that the re-verification of the job cards will be expedited so as to exclude the misuse of such cards.
The Commissioner Secretary to Govt. Rural Development Department informed the meeting that Central Government is keen to spend the funds under centrally sponsored schemes at grassroot level through Panchayats and in this regard the necessary infrastructure is being developed. It was also informed that necessary training to Panchs and Sarpanchs is being imparted.
The Chief Vigilance Commissioner laid emphasis on the point that the officers should not deviate from the spirit of these centrally sponsored schemes which are meant for the development of poor people living in remote and rural areas.
It was also emphasized that internal vigilance system in the Department needs to be strengthened which will check the leakage of govt funds through dubious means which otherwise should directly go to the actual beneficiaries.
The Chief Vigilance Commissioner, like other Departments, directed the officers of RDD to complete the pending complaints/enquires in next 45 days period. It was made clear that in case of non-completion of any enquiry/complaint within the stipulated time, the concerned DVO shall submit a status report to the Commission alongwith request for extending the time period with specific reasons which will be extended on genuine grounds.
The meeting was chaired by Kuldeep Khoda, Chief Vigilance Commissioner and attended by RK Jerath, Vigilance Commissioner, Mrs. Gous-ul-Nisa, Vigilance Commissioner, S. Owais, Director Vigilance Organization, Shafaat N. Barlas, Commissioner/Secretary to Govt. RDD, Secretary/Addl. Secretary SVC , IGP Vigilance Organization, Director RDD Jammu/Srinagar, JDP Vigilance Organization and other officers of the Commission, Vigilance Organization and Rural Development Department. |
