Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 6: High Court today sought response from Government for implementing the annual plans under MNREGA and other centrally sponsored schemes only on the basis of recommendation of Gram Sabha in accordance with Panchayat Raj Act.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice D S Thakur sought response Commissioner Secretary to Rural Development Department, Director Rural Development Department, Assistant Commissioner Development Anantnag, Block Development Officer Srigufwara and Block President PDP Bijbehara to the pleas of petitioners contained in the petition by next date of hearing.
DB directed the State Counsel M A Wani (AAG) to file the response, if any, within a period of four weeks. Petitioner pray that officials be refrained from acting according to the dictation of Block President PDP and no recommendation be accepted from him in implementing the annual plan under MNREGA and other centrally sponsored schemes.
It is stated in the petition that the respondents are having large budgetary allocation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) for development of the rural areas and for providing guaranteed job to the rural population.
After the allocation of funds to the Panchayat Halqa, Gram Sabha which is meeting of the entire population of a Panchayat Halqa on spot is held to finalize the list of developmental works to be undertaken in a particular financial year.
That after allocation of the funds to the petitioners’ village for the financial year 2017-18 under the MNREGA the respondents called a meeting of Gram Sabha in the petitioners village wherein the list of developmental works was finalized and near about 100 developmental works were identified and list was prepared with respect to the rural connectivity and micro-irrigation in the village with the consensus that the works will be taken in the order of priorities to be decided subsequently in Gram Sabha.
Petitioners through their counsel Rizwan-u-Zaman submit that Block President of the People’s Democratic Party without any authority and competence is interfering in the implementation of the MNREGA plan 2017-18 in the petitioners village.
The political interference, it has been submitted, is totally unethical to the very idea of MNREGA scheme and the Department of Rural Development is governed through the Panchayat Raj Act and the funds allotted through the Rural Development Department are to be utilized in accordance with the procedure laid under the Panchayat Raj Act.
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