Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday gave a thumbs-up to the independent Social Audit mechanism adopted by the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government for the NREGS. He brushed aside reservations expressed by a member of the Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC), the apex monitoring agency for the rural job guarantee scheme, while endorsing Gujarat’s model. “Let there be multiplicity of mechanisms. They need to be independent and transparent. It can be...

-The Economic Times   The government's flagship rural employment programme may soon get a dedicated legal setup that would enable state governments to fast-track conviction of erring officials and panchayat heads implementing the scheme. The rural development ministry, which implements the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) through state departments and panchayats, is going to approach the Supreme Court to facilitate setting up of NREGA mobile courts in every district....

All rural schemes will also get a common accounting format; audit to begin with MGNREGS in 12 states At a time when the government is reeling under a number of corruption cases—several of these following critical reports from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)—the ministry of rural development has roped in the statutory auditor to conduct a financial, compliance and performance audit of its schemes. All schemes of the ministries...

-The Economic Times   The Centre's flagship rural employment programme will soon come under the scrutiny of the national auditor, which will look into its implementation in the 12 states that receive the largest share of funds. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India will scrutinise the expenditure and outcome of the public works initiated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in these states over the past five...

-The Telegraph   The comptroller and auditor general today began a performance audit of the rural job scheme in 12 states, including Bengal, amid allegations of widespread corruption hobbling India’s largest social sector programme. The idea is to see whether the scheme has indeed secured villagers’ livelihood by providing guaranteed employment, and whether rules have been followed in its implementation. For instance, at least 60 per cent of the expenditure on every project under...