Gujarat: Jignesh Mevani, Cong working President Hardik Patel 'expose' widespread corruption in MNREGA

Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani and Gujarat Congress' working president Hardik Patel on Saturday alleged widespread corruption in Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state and said that "hundreds of job cards have been fraudulently created in the name of people who never applied for work or even worked."

They alleged on the basis of "documentary evidence" that "bogus job cards, bank accounts, ATM cards, fake muster rolls were created and money was embezzled in a planned manner."

Mevani and Patel in a joint press conference held in Ahmedabad on Saturday alleged that "at a time when the poor people are suffering the most due to lockdown and economic slowdown, the state government has turned blind eyes to numerous complaints and representations the affected persons have made for justice." They said that there was enough evidence to register FIRs and find people who have "embezzled the funds meant for the poor."

Due to lockdown following the coronavirus outbreak, the demand for jobs under this scheme is said to be at its peak in the state. The reverse migration from cities to villages has more than doubled the demand for the first time. The scheme provides 100 days of guaranteed work in a year to daily wagers for which they have to apply, obtain a job card, open bank accounts and sign on muster rolls on the worksite itself.

Along with documents, 16 residents of Balundra village, Amirgadh taluka in Banaskantha district, were also present at the conference where they said that they never worked while unidentified people were taking money in their names fraudulently. They said that they never applied for the job card, never went to the banks to create an account and didn't possess AMT cards.

"I was living away from the village for three years and returned only after the lockdown. A few days back, I came to know that there existed a job card and bank accounts in my name under MGNREGA. I was surprised as I had never applied for it. I believe that the fraudsters got my documents from the village panchayat where I had applied for loans for various schemes including constructing a toilet," said Kiran Parmar, a resident of Balundra village who had come to Ahmedabad to share his case.

Jyotsna Jiba Bhill said that she hardly gets work these days as she doesn't have a job card. She shares a bank account with her widow mother-in-law but that's not under MNREGA. "My husband passed away in an accident. I have a daughter, 10, and a son,5, to feed but I haven't been getting jobs despite repeated attempts. Recently, I came to know that someone was taking money in my name."

Mevani, who represents Vadgam Assembly constituency in the district, said, "What we have found in Balundra village is just a tip of the iceberg. There is widespread corruption across the districts in the state. We want the government to probe and file FIRs."

He said that there are over 260 cases in this village alone from where the authority deleted the job cards in April and June this year on several grounds which violate the provisions of the scheme. "You can't delete job cards without seeking permission from the holder," he said.

When contacted, District Development Officer Ajay Dahiya told DH that "His office has received representations and inquiry has been ordered. It will take at least a week to find out what exactly happened."