Just 9% works completed in 5 months; only 10% data of job card holders uploaded for DBT

Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 25: Union Ministry of Rural Development has accused the J&K Government of its poor performance in execution of MGNREGA works during current financial year as hardly 9 % works under the scheme have been executed so far in five months while just 10 % data of the job card holders has been uploaded in the `NREGASoft’ for bringing beneficiaries under the ambit of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and conversion to Aadhar based payments of all workers having their accounts in banks.
While insiders in the RDD revealed that BDO offices staff including VLWs and GRS etc are avoiding to provide lists of the job cards holders for the fear of being exposed as over 70 percent of the lists are generally bogus/ fake, several district heads (ACDs) of the RDD are claiming that the work was in progress and it will be completed shortly. They know that if the data was uploaded and system made transparent, they will be unable to mint money for their coffers. The work which was asked to be completed by August 2016 by the Union Rural Development Ministry, is unlikely to be completed even by December this year.
Joint Secretary, (MGNREGA), Ministry of Rural Development (GoI), Aparjita Sarangi in a communication to the Secretary RDD J&K, took serious view of the poor pace of MGNREGA works in the State. It was pointed out that hardly 9 % works have been executed till ending August this year. Over 4780 works are incomplete in the State, which were started during 2014-15 or even before. Seeking reason behind the delay, she sought immediate review of the works and close monitoring by the senior officers and swift response in this regard.
Referring to the poor performance of works, the Union RDD Ministry’s letter further said that as per Ministry’s commitment to provide access to sanitation facilities , the scope of works has been expanded to include the construction of Individual House Hold Latrines (IHHL). But unfortunately as per MIS, just 5 % (2337) such latrines have been constructed in the State by RDD against the target of 47,772. Such a dismal performance is needed to be properly monitored.
It further said that construction of Anganwadi Centres is another asset to be created under MGNREGA as a part of rural infrastructure. A target of 445 number of such Anganwadi Centres was given to the State but not even a single has been constructed till first week of September. Referring to Vermi compost and Farm ponds being created in the State, it said that just 7% (141) Vermi compost pits have been created in the State against a target of 1885 while not even a single Farm pond has been created till today during this financial year against the target of 888 given by the Union Rural Development Ministry.
Regretting the dismal performance on the uploading of data base of job cards holders and bring them under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), connecting them through Aadhar cards, the communiqué said that State was asked for the completion of Aadhar feeding in programme data base (NREGASoft) and conversion to Aadhar Based Payment (ABP) of all NREGA workers having their account in banks by August 2016. It was also advised to either mobilize the concerned MGNREGA workers at the bank branch or hold special camps. But it was found that out of the 14,13,733 active MGNREGA workers/ job card holders, just 10 % (1,44,711) have been seeded in the NREGASoft and conversion to Aadhar Based Payments (ABP) has not been done even for a single bank account till date.
It has been found that 23274 number of consents for Aadhar Based Payments have been taken, out of this only 17893 (77%) consent entry has been done against the workers. The information on total number of filled in bank consent forms shared with the banks for ABP conversion is only 200 which is again very discouraging. It has been planned that all the Gram Panchayats will move to the newly functional system which will bring more and more transparency in making payments and check corruption but the progress on this count has remained dismal.
Secretary, RDD (J&K) Kursheed Shah when contacted said that pace of work has remained slow due to Kashmir unrest and this has laid its impact in parts of Ladakh and Jammu as well. He said that pace of work would be expedited after the situation will improve in Valley. He said that in many areas of Jammu region, the works were in progress.
Responding to another question regarding delay caused in uploading database of job card holders to bring transparency in system as August 2016 was given the target by Union Govt (RDD) and just 10 % of the work has been done, till today, the Secretary said the internet system has been snapped in Kashmir and many districts of Jammu for the last about three months now. No work of this nature could be done. But he maintained that the work would be completed by November this year. He claimed that percentage of work was higher as projected by the Union Rural Development Ministry.
Minister for RDD Abdul Haq Khan when contacted said that due to unpleasant situation in Valley, the MGNREGA works have been delayed. He said now the situation is improving and the pace of work will be expedited.
When asked that some field staff members of BDO offices were avoiding to provide lists of the job card holders for feeding in the Data base NREGASoft, the Minister asked,” For how long, they can avoid. We will make to them get these lists uploaded. This entire job will be completed shortly and we still have the time up to March 2017,”.
Referring to NREGA liabilities, the Minister said majority of the liability has been cleared and more funds were released during this year to clear the same. He said the old liabilities were large and that too, are being liquidated.

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