1.98 lakh MGNREGA job cards cancelled

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

Goalpara, Feb 13: UPA’s flagship scheme, Mahatma Gandhi tiol Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has come under scanner. From highly placed it has come to light that rules have been bended while issuing the job cards. After coming to learn about this gross anomalies, the incumbent Sarbada Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam has decided to cancel 1.98 lakh MGNREGA job cards in Assam. The government has asked the authorities to begin their verification process.

In a recently held press conference, State Panchayat and Rural Development Minister ba Kumar Doley had said, “After formation of the new government, some allegations regarding issuance of job cards under MGNREGA came to light. It has been found that many job cards issued in someone’s me were being used by some other. Some job cards issued in the mes of persons, who passed away, were found to be active for many months afterwards”.

He added that verification of such cards are now being conducted and there are chances of more such anomalies coming to light.

“So far 68.48 percent of job cards issued have been verified and 1.58 lakh job cards have been cancelled,” said Doley.

It may be mentioned that another scam, in the issue of bogus ration cards allegedly took place during the previous government’s tenure. The expose led to the then State government instituting a judicial probe.

“In the current fincial year, the State has utilized Rs. 1,267.16 crore under MGNREGA, which is Rs. 638.68 crore more than the previous year,” Doley pointed out.

The minister further informed that total number of man-days generated in 2016-17 is is 312.92 lakh, which is 8.99 lakh more than the previous fincial year. “In the current fincial year, 117 lakh rural households have been provided employment under MGNREGA and 43.89 lakh job cards were issued to employment seekers,” he said.

The MGNREGA aims to enhance livelihood security of people in rural areas by generating minimum 100 days of wage-employment in a fincial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual works.

The Panchayat and Rural Development Minister said the PMAY-G, which aims to provide housing facilities to all in the country by 2022, will be launched on January 19. “Under this housing scheme, 1.64 lakh beneficiaries in the state will get houses. Selection of beneficiaries is being done as per the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 data,” said the minister.

Under the IAY, according to the minister, there are presently 1.33 lakh houses in the State which still remain incomplete. The government has given instruction to complete the construction of those these incomplete houses under the scheme by March 2017.

Doley also informed that 1.106 posts are currently lying vacant in Panchayat and Rural Development department, and an initiative has been taken to fill up the vacant posts. “Any form of corruption in the department will not be tolerated”, the minster warned.