The state government has decided to crack whip on the panchayats indulging in malpractices in the execution of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Special teams would conduct surprise visits to panchayats to check the ground reality. The status report on the implementation of the MGNREGA schemes in the inspected place would be posted on the website of the rural development department the same day.
The state rural development department has directed the district magistrates (DMs) to constitute teams under a senior ADM-rank official for conducting the surprise visits every Wednesday. The team would do a social audit of the schemes under the MGNREGA in the panchayat concerned. The principal secretary of the department, Santosh Matthew, issued a letter to this effect.
Mathew recalled in the letter that the department had asked the DMs to form teams in November last year, but the chief minister found some districts not following the instruction during his Seva Yatra. “Reviewing the progress of the schemes under the MGNREGA during his Seva Yatra, the chief minister directed to follow the order issued by the department earlier strictly,” Mathew said.
There has been sharp criticism of the Nitish government for not spending funds allotted by the Centre under the MGNREGA and rampant corruption in the implementation of the scheme. The chief minister conceded large-scale irregularities in the execution of the scheme a few months ago while speaking to the Union minister of rural development, Jairam Ramesh. Nitish said the MGNREGA funds were being spent on purchasing sports utility vehicles for village heads.
The state minister of rural development, Nitish Mishra, stressed that the state government could not afford loot of public money. He promised to bring about a system to monitor the irregularities.
The rural development department has asked the DMs to ensure the selected team members come to know which panchayat they would visit on a given Wednesday on the day of their departure. The files related to the MGNREGA schemes of that panchayat would also be handed over to them the same day to maintain impartiality and transparency in the social audit.
The panchayat sevak, junior engineer and other officials of the panchayat involved in the MGNREGA work would not be present during the investigations.
