Lapses surface as MNREGS expands, govt acts tough

BROOKING NO GRAFT Zero-tolerance policy against corruption applies to rural employment guarantee scheme as well

LUCKNOW : On June 15, the day Uttar Pradesh attained the Number One position in the country in engaging the highest number of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in a day, action was also taken against six people in a village in eastern UP for irregularities in the execution of a project under the scheme. The accused had engaged a heavy earth-mover for digging a pond instead of deploying MNREGS enrollees.

With more focus on MNREGS post the pandemic, the state is reporting irregularities and corruption in the scheme’s execution from different parts and the government is taking firm action.

So when the government received a complaint from the Itaur (Shuklapurwa) gram panchayat of Mankapur development block in Gonda district, it investigated the case, found the allegations true and acted. It suspended two government officials -- village development officer and secretary for their involvement and filed an FIR against four people -- village head, gram rozgar sewak (employment assistant), secretary and owner of the heavy earth-mover for execution of the irregularity.

The sanctioned fund for the pond-digging was Rs 2.608 lakh. The government also issued a recovery notice against the village head, rozgar sewak and the secretary.

“This year, the state government created 7.93 crore mandays under the MNREGS till Monday and 57.13 lakh in a single day on that day. With over 27 lakh migrants and workers returning from other states, the chief minister zeroed-in on MNREGS as the first and instant line of employment generation in villages. He has directed strict action against those who either do not create MNREGS jobs or allow any anomaly,” said a state government spokesperson.

So, the UP rural development department acted tough in a far more glaring case of anomalies in Ratanpura development block of Mau district.

“No MNREGS work was done in 15 gram panchayats while the orders are that each gram panchayat must execute more than one project so that in these critical times labourers may get help. Still no effort was made to give jobs. Not only this, even last year’s payments totalling Rs 8.34 lakh were pending. The government had sanctioned Rs 29.59 lakh for Chakra, Rs 26.81 lakh for Piparsath, Rs 15.16 lakh for Sidhwal, Rs 19.98 lakh for Gadhwa and Rs 21.11 lakh for Devdah under the material component of the MNREGS, but no work was found done on the sites. All this was tantamount to serious negligence in duties,” said Manoj Kumar Singh, principal secretary, rural development department, in a suspension order dated June 9 for Ramesh Yadav, block development officer, Ratanpura.

Singh also recommended adverse entry in service records of the CDO, Mau and terminated services of over half-a-dozen additional programme officers, technical assistants, and rozgar sewaks. “The chief minister’s zero-tolerance policy against corruption applies to MNREGS as well. We will investigate and act on any complaints that we might receive from villages,” said the state government spokesperson.