Massive irregularities in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) schemes are surfacing in work audits being conducted by various non-governmental organisations.
The audits conducted in villages of Pakur district by two NGOs, Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR) and Bhartiya Gyan-Vigyan Samiti under PACS-MGNREGA project on March 8, suggest that the assets created under MGNREGA are of little value.
In Vanpokharia village under Hiranpur block of Pakur district, eight projects of land leveling, seven small pond (Jalkumnbh) projects, two pond construction projects and two well projects were undertaken under the scheme two years back.
A sum of Rs18,000 for each Jalkumbh was released. It was revealed in the social audit that the said Jalkumbhs remained dry except in the rainy season and irrigation through them is negligible. Similarly, there is no water in the wells that have been constructed under the scheme. One of the wells is shown in the ledger books to have cost more than Rs2 lakh.
In the two ponds dug at a cost of Rs2,60,000, instead of fish only stones are seen. The reason: The ponds remain dry throughout. Hiranpur Block Development Officer Dheeraj Kumar Thakur said the region was mountainous so these artificial water bodies remained dry. But his statement pointed out lack of planning in MGNREGA schemes. "Workers demanded jobs and we had to give them something to do. We asked them to create these bodies," he said adding, "this was waste of money."
During the audit, the dubious role played by government officials in issuing job cards were also revealed. Eighty per cent of the residents of Vanpokharia village are eligible for a job card but none of them had one despite the cards having been officially issued in their names. It is reportedly because the rojgar sewaks had confiscated the cards.
Villager Arjun Pahariya said the rojgar sewaks kept the cards. "He is rarely seen in the panchayat. He comes with a register in his hands, as and when he wishes to, and forces us to put our signatures. He says that if we don't sign a case will be lodged against us in police stations," he adds.
However, the BDO denied confiscation of job cards. "People from that village and many others in the vicinity don't come for renewal of job cards because coal mining is rampant in the region and they find it better to work with the mining companies. There they get paid more than Rs 200 per hour compared to around Rs125 per day under MGNREGA," he said.