Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 12: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India report on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), Jammu district, released here has found around 50 percent works not been either taken up or completed during past 4 years and has found embezzlements in rest of the works as inspection was not conducted by the implementing agency – the Rural Development Department.
The report has found that during 2007-11 6,852 works were approved under the MNREGA, 5,708 were taken up and 3593 were completed. “Fifty percent works were either not taken up or were not completed”, the report added.
The report suggested that the RDD has not ensured the creation of durable assets for strengthening livelihood of rural poor. The scheme was launched in Jammu district in 2007 to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to every house hold whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. “The records of the department indicate poor implementation of schemes under MNREGA”, the report added.
The CAG has found no records pertaining to MNREGA and no inspection of the completed works by the RDD. “Stock registers of Muster Rolls at block level indicating date of reception of Muster rolls from ACD office, date of issue of Muster Rolls, Muster Roll numbers, name of work for which Muster Rolls were issued, designation of official receiving Muster Rolls had not been maintained in six tested blocks of the district. No unique number was given to the works mentioned in the MRs”, the report has found.
The report said that the MRs were not countersigned by inspecting officers in token of having inspected the works. “The improper maintenance of the MRs is fraught with risk of embezzlement”, it added.
The MNREGA, whose one of the main objective was to provide employment to the rural poor has miserably failed in providing employment to them. The report said that during 2007-11, 59,414 Job Card holders demanded jobs under the scheme but only 102 were provided. “The rest 59, 312 were entitled to the un-employment allowance under the provisions of the scheme but not a single penny was provided to them”, said the report.
The Assistant Commissioner Development Jammu has told the CAG that these blocks had not demanded the unemployment allowance and the CAG has declared the reply unacceptable as ACD is responsible for monitoring of the works under the scheme.
The report said that the utilization of the funds under the scheme was very poor. “Poor utilization of funds led to accumulation of unspent balance of Rs 16.14 crore at the end of March 2011”.
In a shocking revelation, the report said that NREGA funds were diverted against the guidelines. “The funds were diverted for payment of air fare between Jammu and Srinagar, hotel charges, telephone bills and wages to daily wagers”, the report added.
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