Adil Lateef
SRINAGAR, Apr 20: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, the flagship programme of the Central Government, is yet to get implemented in a proper way in Jammu and Kashmir even as seven years have passed since it was launched.
As per the guidelines of Union Ministry of Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj, under the Administrative structure of MGNREGA there should be a District Programme Manager (DPM) or District Project Coordinator (DPC) at each district Level, Block Programme Officer (BPO) or Block Programme Manager (BPM) and also Management Information System Operator at Block level. Similarly at Gram Panchayat Level there should be Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS).
As per guidelines there is a devised structure at various levels for successful implementation of the MGNREGA programme but in Jammu and Kashmir, this administrative structure has not been formulated yet at various levels. The DPM/Coordinators have not been engaged in any of the Valley districts while the majority of Jammu Division districts are also without these DPMs.
Instead the Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD) who is also Wage Employment Officer has been assigned the work of DPM in concerned districts. In majority of the cases the ACD due to his/her busy schedule is not making justice with the scheme.
“Also the ACD has to visit various Blocks/Panchayats falling under concerned district to monitor and asses the work of MGNREGA, which takes months to frame reports and audits as besides MGNREGA the concerned ACDs, have to look after the other works of Rural Development Department,” officials said.
As per the guidelines, the DPM has also to identify various works, formulate projects, budget proposal after compiling the data of various blocks/ Panchayats and submit it to concerned department for approval. But due to Government’s apathy, till date, the DPMs have not been engaged either due to political reasons or by administrative hiccups.
Besides, there is a social audit worker/ officer who is tasked to make social audits for works executed under MGNREGA in various Panchayats of the districts but this post of social audit worker is also lying vacant in majority of the districts of the State.
Officials said another intermediate post, Block Programme Manager, is also lying vacant in several blocks of the State. “Although the posts were advertised in 2013 but many of the Blocks are still without Block Programme Manager and instead concerned Block Development Officers are doing the job of BPM which has again created hurdles in the smooth functioning of the MGNREGA, officials added.
Due to non-availability of Gram Rozgar Sevaks in various Panchayats, the proper functioning like monitoring, supervising and collection of relevant data vis-à-vis MGNREGA is also creating hurdles in the implementation of the flagship programme at the grass root level.
The MGNREGA which is known as world’s largest job oriented programme for unskilled/ skilled and well educated professionals but in J&K the situation is different and also from last few years, most of the funds sanctioned for MGNREGA to J&K under administrative cost and labour component remain unutilized due to above mentioned reasons which is matter of great concern for development of rural areas.
Also in last Union budget, the Government of India has made a convergence programme under MGNREGA where various components of other programmes/schemes were merged with MGNREGA which has increased its importance for the development of rural infrastructure but in J&K the official apathy has marred this vital project.
Director RDD Kashmir, Tassaduq Jeelani, admitted that the ADCs have been assigned the work of DPCs/DPMs in entire Kashmir division and also in Jammu province districts but added that “it is not against guidelines”. He admitted that a large number of Block-level posts are lying. “It is because in 2014, new blocks were created and as of now 93 posts are lying vacant”, he added.
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