Central report indicates irregularities in implementation of MGNREGS projects

The Union rural development secretary B K Sinha in his fact finding report revealed the incidences of widespread corruption in the implementation of the projects under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGS) in Jharkhand.

In a voluminous fact finding report consisting over 80 pages, the Union secretary revealed that there had been a series of murders related to job scheme under MGNREGS.

Criminal conspiracy was made by some deputy commissioners who happen to be the district programme coordinators for MGNREGS and other officials to defraud the government and deprived MGNREGS workers of their wages for personal gains.

The state government involved the contractors in contravention of rules and workers’ rights to execute all MGNREGS projects.

The Union secretary during his visit to some of the villages in the sate found contractors were engaged in the projects. They were suspected of enjoying strong ties with the administration.

The Union secretary visited in March this year after a fifty-year-old labourer Subal Mahto was allegedly beaten to death by a contractor Bhagirath Rajwar on February 19 for demanding revised wages under MGNREGS.

However, Bokaro deputy commissioner (DC) Amitabh Kaushal in his report to the state government had said that no contractor was deployed in the MGNREGS project and wage payment was transferred directly to the accounts of labourers by the implementing agency.

The DC, Bokaro stated in his report that Subal Mahto’s death was due to low blood sugar and not beating.

However, undertaking an in-depth study in meeting with the officials and villages, the Union secretary has recently recommended for the suspension of the DC’s of Bokaro and Latehar- Amitabh Kaushal and Rahul Purwar for sending false reports and misleading the government of India.