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| BDO withholds NREGS payments | | Locals appeal for social audit | | Early Times Report
Rajouri, Aug 30: The residents of Shahadra Sharief village in Thamandi block of Rajouri have appealed to the Advisor to Governor B B Vyas to come to their rescue as Block Development Officer (BDO) has withheld the payments for the works executed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) more than 2 years back. The locals alleged that officials in the BDO office Thanamandi were demanding bribe for release of the payment. Details available with Early Times reveal that in Shahadara Sharief Panchayat several works have been taken up during last 2 years but the officials in the BDO office were not ready to release the payments to the NREGS workers and were demanding commission in lieu of the same.
The transparency under MG-NREGS could have been ensured through "Social Audits " but the post of Director Social audit is lying vacant from more than 4 years with the result social audits are hardly being conducted for various works undertaken by Rural Development Department (RDD) in J&K especially under MGNREGS.
Earlier expressing concern over the deficiencies regarding social auditing in MGNREGA reportedly pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Chief Minister's Grievance Cell had asked for placement of social audit staff for MGNREGA. The Grievance cell had also asked for appointment of Ombudsman in each district by placing the requisite mechanism for redressal of the grievances related to the MGNREGA, but nothing has been done in this regard.
In previous Government vide order No: 41 5 -GAD of 2017, Dated: 31.03.2017 approved the constitution of a State Level Selection Committee comprising of Chief Secretary, Commissioner /Secretary Rural Development, Senior official from Govt of India Ministry of Rural Dev and a senior member from Civil Society organization working for Rural Development to select Director, Social Audit (MGNREGA) and Resource Persons (Social Audit) at State/Divisional levels for setting up the Social Audit Unit in the State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, but more than one year has elapsed the appointments are yet to be made. "Several works which have been shown as executed on papers do not exist at all in Thanamandi block, we would like to have a social audit of all these works. In this regard we appeal B B Vyas , Secretary RDD and DC Rajouri to have a massive social audit of Thanamandi block" said Mohammad Hussain a resident of Thanamandi. |
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