As the Government readies to showcase Sonia Gandhi’s ambitious Food Security Bill, said to be a potential game changer in the general elections that might be held sooner than later, the fact remains that yet another of the Congress president’s pet projects MGNREGA — that had helped sway fortunes in the ruling dispensation’s favour in 2009 — is tottering.
Between 2009-10 and 2011-12, employment generation, the primary aim of the UPA’s flagship rural job scheme, has declined drastically — from 284 crore persondays to 211 crore persondays. One personday is one person working for a day. And the data for the current financial year up to January-end (146 crore persondays) suggests that there will be a further dip in 2012-13.
Ironically, though, complaints about its implementation are on the increase. In fact, the number of grievances across the States has almost doubled — from 528 in 2009-10 to 1,091 in 2011-12.
The rural job guarantee Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was launched in 2006 with an aim to supplement the income of the rural poor. The UPA’s flagship scheme was said to be one of Sonia Gandhi’s dream projects and which, along with the Government’s debt waiver move ahead of the 2009 general elections, was said to have helped the Congress bounce back to power.
With speculation rife now about early general elections given the Samajwadi Party’s aggressive posturing and DMK’s pull out from the Government, the Congress is eager to ensure the Food Security Bill sees the light of day. About a fortnight ago, the Cabinet approved the amended Bill and the Government plans to get the revised Bill passed in the current session of Parliament that ends on May 10. The Bill provides for
granting 67 per cent population the right to get a monthly quota of 5 kg foodgrains at highly subsidised rates of `1 to 3 per kg.
Corruption-mired MGNREGA, however, remains a major worry for the Congress. As per the latest data available from the Rural Development Ministry, it has received a total of 2,240 complaints so far at the Central level in the past three years. Records indicate that less than 45 per cent cases of complaints under the scheme are being resolved.
“The complaints mainly relate to cases of job cards not being provided, misappropriation of funds, engagement of contractors, forgery of muster roll, manipulation in job cards, under payment, delay in payments and non-payment of wages, corruption and other irregularities and use of machinery among others,” said a senior Rural Development Ministry official.
Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 1,039 complaints recorded in the last three years followed by Madhya Pradesh (221) and Rajasthan (188), where people have accused the authorities of irregularities and fraud in the MGNREGA, to the Centre.
In fact, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had recommended a CBI probe in alleged bungling in MGNREGA projects in Uttar Pradesh.
A comparison between the last two years 2010-11 and 2011-12 reveals that the complaints in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Manipur, Chhattisgarh and Odisha have increased significantly while no complaints came from Goa, Sikkim and lakshadweep. Only one complaint each has been received from Arunanchal Pradesh, Puducherry and Tripura during the period.
The official, however, said all complaints received at the Ministry are forwarded to the State Governments for appropriate action as they are responsible for the implementation of the Act.
“Rise in complaints indicates either the officials in collusion with the village head are swindling money or they are meant to settle personnel scores by the complainants,” the official added.
Action is still awaited in a complaint in Anaparthy village, East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh about irregularities in MGNREGA funds and use of machines instead of labour despite several reminders to the State Government. In yet another case, the Centre is yet to get a reply from the Uttar Pradesh Government in irregularities reported in 2008 in the scheme implemented in lakhimpur Kheri.
