Panel wants CAG audit of 'fake' MGNREGA job cards

A Parliamentary panel on Wednesday questioned the “silence” of the Government over resolving the issue of “fake” job cards in MGNREGA and pitched for conducting random inspection and getting them audited under the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.The Standing Committee on Rural Development led by AIADMK leader P Venugopal in its three other reports, including on MGNREGA, drinking water and sanitation and various schemes of the Rural Development Ministry also pointed out loopholes in implementation of the schemes and called for corrective steps.

The reports were placed in both the Houses on Wednesday.The panel in its report said the Committee had taken note of many discrepancies like issue of “fake job cards, inclusion of fictitious names, unlawful possession of job cards” with influential people including elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions or MGNREGA functionaries.

“It had strongly emphasised the need for bringing reform in the process of issue of job cards by making these offences punishable under section 25 of MGNREGA, conducting random inspection of job cards, linking job cards with Voter-ID/Aadhaar cards for minimising chances of fake/multiple job cards and bring job cards within the ambit of social audit or audit under the directions of the CAG,” the panel noted.

Not satisfied with the Ministry’s reply, it said, “the panel is constrained to note the action taken reply of the Rural Development Department is silent on the issue of making the job cards subject to audit under the directions of CAG of India and also conducting of random inspection of job cards to weed out the fake job cards.”