Mohammad Sarfaraz
Early Times Report
BANDIPORA, May 20: Scores of rural villages in this north Kashmir district are deprived of the benefits of various centrally sponsored schemes including MGNREGA scheme.
The benefits of MGNREGA have not reached the deserving people here, most of them whom belong to below poverty line families.
Sources said it's actually some officials and their kin who are reaping the benefits of the MGNREGA and other centrally sponsored schemes
"The peons, clerks and senior officials of the Rural Development Department have allotted the works under MGNREGA to their own people only. These beneficiaries are either influential or happen to be workers of mainstream political parties," sources told Early Times.
They said the job cards were also issued to these 'blue-eyed' people under MGNREGA scheme, thus depriving a large section of society who doesn't have any source of income.
The sources said that the populace of many villages in Bandipora district including Tangapora, Shilvat, Sultanpora, Madwan, Asham, Gadakhud, Ganstan, Hajin Ghat, Nisbal, Poushwari and Tiregam have been deprived of the benefits of MGNREGA, as they were never encouraged to work under this centrally sponsored scheme.
The government has done lot of work in 2016-17, and as many as 1,400 development works were taken up at a cost of Rs 23 crore under the MGNREGA. "But the fact is that the rural people were never given chance a to work," the sources added.
They said the RDD allots work and for that they need bribe or commissions, which the rural people cannot afford.
"The central government had introduced this scheme for the benefit of the poor masses, but the poor people of Bandipora have been left to fend for themselves," said the sources.
They alleged that there are also various allegations regarding the scheme such as production of fake bills and muster rolls by some people.
"People who are associated with it are using substandard material in bunds, safety walls, with the result they work on it again and again to mint the money through fake bills," the sources added. |
