When Chief Minister Hemant Soren cried foul for perilous road condition to reach lali panchyat, about 30 kilometers from Ranchi, many would have taken it as an excuse for reaching the venue more than an hour late. But when the galaxy of leaders that included Union Minister Jairam Ramesh, Subodh Kant Sahay besides the CM, tried to inaugurate Direct Benefit Transfer for MGNREGA wage payment, even latest tool of infrastructure left their side.
The occasion was to make Jharkhand only the second State in the country to start DBT-M (DBT-MGNRGA) with the help of India Post on Wednesday. Three beneficiaries — Anita Toppo, Nilima Kachap and Nicolas Toppo — were handpicked to be paid their wages with the help of handheld machine that depends on mobile network to function. Alas, like poor road poor mobile network at lali, the panchayat selected to begin with, left the officials red-faced.
The CM rightly picked-up the thread. "I have been told that mobile network remains poor in this area. We would ensure while consulting BSNl and other operators so it can be improved. The small machine can make you free from middlemen, but before that it has to work at your doorsteps. let's see if middlemen make their entry in this as well," said Hemant Soren.
There are 5,960 MGNREGA labourers in lali panchayat with 3,291 Aadhaar enrolments. With the start of the DBT-M, the labourers would get their wages directly to their post office or bank accounts and subsequently paid at the doorstep through the micro ATMs — the handheld devise carried by Panchayat Sewaks. Chief Secretary RS Sharma counted delayed payment for MGNREGA as the biggest reason behind its unsatisfactory progress in the State.
Besides the wages, old-age, disabled and widow pensions would also be credited to beneficiaries' accounts seeded with their Aadhaar numbers. The Government hopes to spread the seamless system throughout the State by the end of December 2013 with the help of 2800 micro-ATMs initially. Though, unreliable tele-connectivity of the State, especially in remote areas, poses a serious question mark over the success of the system.
The CM also took a dig on the middlemen and blamed them to play spoil sport in all and sundry schemes initiated by the Government. "We make schemes but the beneficiaries do not get direct benefit of theirs. The dalals get firsthand share. This exercise is to prune the dalals. We may rollout this for Indira Awas and others as well," he said. He also got cheered for announcement to start reconstruction of Sidrol-lali road within a month that was hardly motorable despite best efforts to being dented and painted by perhaps the larger middlemen.
Ramesh, nevertheless reached the difficult venue five minutes ahead of the schedule and lauded the efforts being taken by the Centre for betterment of Jharkhand. "DBT would become a reality in all the 4,200 panchayats from January 2014. The Aadhaar-linked micro ATM would come to your doorstep and you need not to waste your energy and time in getting your dues. It is the beginning of your independence from post offices and banks," said the Minister.
He said that 91,000 wells have been constructed in the State and not only on papers and aimed to make one lakh toilets as 60 per cent of women in rural Jharkhand go for open defecation. Ramesh also called upon the State Government to increase efficiency so that expenditure from current Rs 1,500 crore can be taken to Rs 4,000 crore annually.