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| 'Rosy' picture of MGNREGA gets 'murky' as survey points out loopholes in accomplishment of development works | | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Sept 15: Tall claims of state government about successful implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state seem to fall flat following stark revelations about the works being carried under the national level programme in the state more so in Kashmir valley.
A survey carried out by some of the Right to Information (RTI) activists has pointed out that instead of accomplishing the works manually the Rural Development Department (RDD) employs machinery for the same. The survey points out that RDD officials prepare fake job cards and then the work is carried out by means of various machines available in the contemporary times.
"We carried out a survey in some of the rural areas of Kashmir and it was shocking to note that developmental works are carried out by machines instead of labourers. Fake jobs are prepared in order to give a false impression that the work has been carried according to the norms. There is nothing rosy about NREGA in Kashmir valley but surprisingly the concerned department is yet to awake from the slumber," said the RTI activists while sharing details to Early Times.
Referring to NREGA as a huge scam the RTI activists said that state government is befooling masses by presenting a goody goody picture of the scheme. They said that social audit; an important component of NREGA is yet to be taken up in the state. This they said mocks at the tall claims of state government that NREGA is a success in Jammu & Kashmir.
"In the Kashmir valley a petty labourer gets Rs. 350 for one day of work while as under NREGA the labourer is entitled to Rs. 120 per day and that too for 100 days a year. The comparative rates formed one of the bases of our survey and it got revealed that the implementation of NREGA is full of loopholes and controversies," said the RTI activists.
The RTI activists said that controversies could have been set aside had the social audit of the works carried out under NREGA taken up. Their contention is simple and that is to carry out the social audit of the works carried out so far. This they say would bring about transparency and remove all the misgivings about the implementation of NREGA in Kashmir valley.
"Social audit has to be carried out in presence of the villagers and not among a selected lot. This will clearly spell out the beans about the implementation of NREGA in Kashmir. As such the corrupt officials can easily be singled out and action under law can be taken against them. However, there has been no forward movement on this all important issue of assured employment of 100 days in rural areas," said the RTI activists.
The RTI activists said that some of the influential people having close affiliation to the corridors of power take use of machines like loaders and JCBs in order to carry out the developmental works in their areas. They said the benefits go to these influential people with the villagers left high and dry.
"Rural Development Department, the executing department of NREGA in the state has failed to come up to the expectations of the villagers as far as implementation of the job scheme is concerned. The department officials seem to be in league with the influential people with no relief for the common villagers," said the RTI activists.
MGNREGA is a job guarantee scheme for rural Indians. It was enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005. The scheme provides a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of paid employment in every financial year to adult members of any household willing to do unskilled manual work related to public work at the statutory minimum wage of Rs. 120 per day. |
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