It is beyond comprehension that in our State, the very basics, the tenets and the non negotiability aspects of the entire scope of MGNREGA are often thrown to winds. The scheme with an ambition of taking on the rural poverty and unemployment to a larger extent, by at least providing in a calendar year, 100 days guaranteed employment, has the other face too, so far as its implementation is concerned. The one least expected is that of nonpayment of the wages for as long as up to 3 to 4 years. This has resulted in sending pall of frustration across the poor and hapless workers in various blocks of Jammu region as the Rural Development Department (RDD) has not cleared the liabilities which have mounted to a whooping Rs. 205 crore.
The figures of the entire State could touch as high as Rs.375 crore. This could be a unique case, at least from amongst the rarest ones in our country. It becomes increasingly astonishing that while the states enjoy the autonomy of providing work to the needy in accordance with the scheme, as regards the monetary aspect thereof, the Central Government reimburses as much as 100% of the wage bill under the scheme. Why should funds be released at the state level only after pressures from public representatives, the media taking up the case etc; and not under normal conditions, strictly as per the scheme wherein it is incumbent to reimburse the wages, by crediting respective accounts of the beneficiaries, either at the day end, or the next day or at best, within the stipulated time frame of 15 days ? In the same way, as it is quite necessary to provide employment under the scheme within 15 days of submitting an application by a prospective worker. All these set guidelines were thought of while framing this scheme to be guided by absolute transparency and accountability with intent to ensure that the actual and timely benefits reached the beneficiaries.
Director Rural Development Department Jammu Pradeep Kumar has disclosed that the total liability of the department under the said scheme in Jammu as on March 31, 2016 was to the tune of Rs. 382. 24 crores. During the current financial year, the Jammu region received funds under this scheme to the tune of Rs. 214.85 crores for 10 districts, out of which 40% are utilized for clearing old liabilities. He further informed that the “old liability” pertained to the last three to four years and the corollary warrants that the entire amount cannot be utilized to square off the entire old liability. One slight positive characteristics of the entire issue, according to the Department is, that whatever amount has been paid was towards the wages of the labourers and not in respect of the material component. That there should be difficulty experienced even in collecting data about the outstanding liabilities, is not speaking well about how much due importance was being given to the successful implementation of this scheme. The entire issue, however, could easily be rejuvenated as the online system has been made as a pre requisite for proper running of this scheme by the Union Rural Development Ministry in all the districts and blocks. It is again not acceptable that many field staff members should not cooperate in this task. That could even lead to attribution of motives . On the other hand, it got revealed that in many blocks, the old liabilities cleared were less as projected.
On many occasions, through these columns, we have been bringing to the fore, the need to revamp the functioning of MG-NREGA in the State and any political influence, pressures and considerations extraneous to the provisions of this vital scheme and a deficit of the sincerity in using this scheme to provide economic security as well as creating rural assets, needed to be reversed and set right. The current problem under reference had its roots to a larger extent also in these irregularities which could be avoided to streamline the system.
The question as to why works have been allotted beyond the sanctioned limits, beyond the set targets or due to other reasons need a cogent reply because these factors on the one hand led to the spurt in the liabilities and on the other, were tantamount to flagrant violations of the provisions of the scheme. That is why, the paramount need to bring in fool proof transparency is felt now more than before and to a larger extent, it could be made possible by compiling on line data and even the remotest and the economically backward rural areas needed to be brought under its purview. We expect the entire system shall undergo the much needed transformation and streamlining so that at the grass root level, the results expected out from the implementation of MG-NREGA get translated into desired reality.
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