RTI activist attacked in Rajasthan

He wanted to expose corruption in MGNREGA

A 65-year-old Right to Information activist, who was working to expose irregularities in the rural jobs scheme MGNREGA in Rajasthan, is battling for life at a hospital after being attacked by miscreants, police said.

Dudhram is a former sarpanch of Somalsar village near Nokha city of Bikaner district. “He was brutally beaten up by some miscreants as he was trying to expose corruption in the MGNREGA work in his area," said Chetan Ram, an NGO activist in Bikaner.

He has nine fractures and his kidney was affected in the attack, added Ram.  Dudhram's family and the NGO allege he was beaten up by supporters of the current sarpanch. He was admitted in a critical condition at the private SK Soni Hospital. 

"He is in ICU and showing signs of improvement but he will take time to recover fully," said a doctor.
Dudhram had lodged a complaint with the state government's anti-corruption bureau saying Rs 12 crore was sanctioned for the construction of six roads, under the Centre’s job guarantee scheme in 2010 in Nokha. But the work not completed till 2011. He said Rs 4 crore was sanctioned to MGNREGA for clearing sand from the roads, but no such work was carried out.
No work doneThe government engineers and people of the area also wrote to the collector that no work had been done after which a team from Jaipur came for inspection. 

The issue flared up and Dudhram was beaten up brutally, said Chetan Ram. “An FIR was filed against 10 accused but as per our knowledge no arrests have been made so far in the case," added Ram.

MGNREGA or the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a flagship scheme of the central government guaranteeing 100 days of work every year to one member of every rural household.