JOIN USGovernment to bring in transparency in NREGs
During a workshop on ‘NREGS - Lessons from Implementation’ organised at NIAS on Tuesday, Planning Commission member Dr Mihir Shah, in his keynote address, said that distribution of unique identity cards to beneficiaries of NREGA will check loopholes in the system.
The Unique Identification Authority of India, headed by Nandan Nilekani, is looking for source of demand for unique ID cards. The authority is also considering providing beneficiaries of NREGS with the cards. It would check the menace of ghost workers and ensure that every beneficiary gets payment regularly.
Implementation of NREGs in Karnataka is bogged down with many loopholes. Over use of machinery, exclusion of women from the scheme in some parts, delayed payment and irregularities in issuing job cards are a few of them.
The workshop in which RDPR Joint Director of the Department Ramesh also attended, has a special significance for Karnataka as the state government is holding a special legislature session on rural development from Wednesday.
Irregularities
Gramina Mahila Okkuta (GMO), a federation of 320 rural women’s self help groups in Kolar district, has come out with the list of lacunae in the implementation of the scheme after a thorough study of the scheme in 22 villages of the district in August.
The federation found that in Ganjigunte, Mallakchhanahalli, Thoradi heavy earth movers were used, which is not allowed under NREGA. A large number of beneficiaries were not issued job cards in Ganjigunte village.
Surprisingly in Angondanahalli, the federation noticed, role of caste bias in alloting work. In the same village panchayat members had monopolized contracts. Interestingly in Gandhipura, there is zero awareness on the scheme and no work has been taken up under the scheme.
The federation noticed that in Yedahalli, tank desilting work done under a different programme was shown as NREGA work. During the visit to Thondahalli the members of the federation received complaints of officers demanding bribe to allot work. Besides, in most of the villages women and physically challenged were not involved in the works.