news details |
|
|
| Rs 300cr MGNREGA liabilities in J&K for 2013-14 financial year | | Job card holders hold protest at Kishtwar; Doda tops with Rs 70 Cr, Kishtwar next with Rs 56.31 Cr liabilities | | Asif Iqbal Naik
Kishtwar, June 28: The much acknowledged poor people friendly Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act commonly known as MGNREGA though has brought fortune for the poor people in many parts of the country, but due to corruption, favoritism and nepotism, the poor job card holders of the state under MGNREGA are suffering at the hands of the government.
As per the details available with "Early Times", the state government has failed to fulfill the formalities on time as a result of which the union government has stopped the release of funds to the tune of Rs. 300 crore meant for MGNREGA. The state government has failed to provide details about the utilization of funds.
Among the Rs 300 crore liability, Doda District of Jammu province tops the list with Rs 70 crore liability followed by Kishtwar District with Rs 56 crore liability while other Districts of Jammu province also contributes major share as compared to Kashmir division where the liability is far less.
Among the Rs 56 crore liability in Kishtwar district, Kishtwar block tops with Rs 13.90 crore, followed by Drabshala Rs 13.44 crore, Inderwal Rs 13.10 crore, Padder Rs 7.22 crore and Nagsini Rs 6.95 crore liability.
Meanwhile the job card holders hailing from Inderwal block of Kishtwar District under the banner of Dehati Labour Union lead by its President Sarpanch Thakur Puran Chand held a strong protest at Kishtwar and block main road outside Assistant Commissioner Development Kishtwar office. The protestors were raising slogans against the Rural Development Department and government.
While talking to "Early Times", Sarpanch Thakur Puran Chand said that many job card holders living in Chatroo area falling under Inderwal block are poor and are mainly dependent on 100 days jobs days guaranteed to them under MGNREGA. He said that in Inderwal block, there are 14000 job card holders and added that bearing few influential persons having strong political links; majority of job card holders did not get wages for the year 2013-14.
The Sarpanch said the RDD officials and District administration have forced the job card holders to choose the agitating path. He said that the guidelines set by the government in MGNREGA Act have been violated with immunity to please political masters at the cost of the poor. He said that despite clearly cut mention of disbursement of wages to job card holders in 15 days, same are pending since last one and half year.
The Sarpanch said that even after three months of this financial year, no new work was taken in hands despite the fact that plan was approved as the labourers did not want to go for work fearing no payments. He urged up on Prime Minister Narindra Modi to look into the matter and issued direction to concerned ministry for early release of funds to state government so that the same could be distributed among the poor job card holders waiting for release of wages since last over one year.
Another protestor Jaffar Hussain Ganie said that many job card holders are facing the brunt of debit as many among them has purchased daily required material from various shopkeepers and are unable to pay for the same. He said that the department even did not pay them the charges of material and transportation which is in addition to the daily wages.
Similar views were expressed by Duni Chand of Hurna Drubeel who showed the blank job card in his support in which all the payment columns are blank.
Later the agitating job card holders called on ACD Kishtwar Yasar Arfat Zarger who assured them that the pending wages will be cleared once the department receives payments from union government.
While talking to "Early Times", ADC Kishtwar said that there is liability of Rs 56 crore in MGNREGA for Kishtwar district and agreed that department is short of funds to clear the liability. He said that against Rs 56 crore liability, the department received 14 crore that too under this year financial plan. He said that after seeking approval from Commissioner Secretary RDD, same amount will be used to clear some liability.
He said that out of Rs 16 crore amount, he releases Rs 3 crore each to Inderwal & Drabshala blocks, Rs 2 crore for Kishtwar, Rs 1.50 crore to Nagsini, Rs 1.50 crore to Dachhan, one crore each to Marwah, Warwan and Padder blocks. He said that efforts are on for early release of liabilities from central government. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
