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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Ghost beneficiaries galore under NREGA in Amreli village by Vijaysinh Parmar

Ghost beneficiaries galore under NREGA in Amreli village by Vijaysinh Parmar

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published Published on Feb 24, 2012   modified Modified on Feb 24, 2012

Madhubhai Koli of Khambha village in Amreli district worked for 10 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2009. He was paid Rs 1,000 that were deposited in his account. What is shocking is that Koli died way back in 2006. The much-publicized employment programme of the UPA government reeks of severe corruption in this village of Saurashtra.

And, a Right to Information (RTI) application by a farmer, himself a victim of ghost beneficiaries, has revealed more dirt.

The farmer, Karansinh Rathod, was shocked to know that his four family members were shown as workers in 2009 under the NREGA. This despite the fact that none of his family members ever applied for employement under the programme which guarantees 100 days of work in a financial year to any rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work.

The curious 43-year-old farmer then filed an RTI application with Khambha village gram panchayat in November 2011 seeking details of job cards issued, muster rolls, number of unskilled people worked under this scheme and amounts spent by the government in 2009 for this work.

As per the details given by the panchayat, Lakdhirsinh, 25, who was shown as a beneficiary, is a mentally challenged person who is unable to do any work. "Due to his mental condition, he keeps roaming in the village doing nothing,'' says Rathod.

"We have compared the details given under the RTI and the actual reality in our village," says the farmer.

RTI revealed that total 1,427 job cards were issued by the village panchayat and Rs 1.34 crore were spent to carry out works under the scheme. But many of the people, who were shown workers in this scheme, have never worked in 2009.

Truck drivers, rickshaw drivers, diamond polishers, mentally challenged persons, tea stall owners were shown as workers under NREGA. There are no signs of beneficiaries in muster rolls," says Yusuf Juneja, an RTI activist based in Khambha and co-ordinator of RTI counseling Center-Mahiti Adhikar Nagrik Mandal in the village.

"Isabhai Jokra, 32, a rickshaw driver and his wife Munni and father were shown as workers. Actually, Isabhai only came to know after the RTI revelation," added Juneja.

Rathod has now lodged a complaint with toll free number of MGNREGA with state government.

Alok Kumar Pandey, district development officer (DDO) of Amreli, said that they have received the complaint in this regards. "We got this matter investigated from three different agencies and several flaws have been found by each of them. There is a scam for sure and we have in fact, forwarded the report to state rural development department and sought guidance in this case."

The Times of India, 23 February, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Ghost-beneficiaries-galore-under-NREGA-in-Amreli-village/articleshow/12009473.cms


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