One third of job card holders don't have bank accounts

MGNREGA

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Dec 11: The Union cabinet in April this year had approved direct payment of wages to workers engaged under the Mahatma Gandhi tiol Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by remitting the amounts into their bank accounts.

But in Assam, nearly one third of the job card holders do not have bank accounts till date.

Moreover, due to "technical reasons" the banks have been uble to transfer wages amounting to Rs 4.47 crore to the job card holders this year.

Informing this in the Assembly today, Panchayat & Rural Development minister Rakibul Hussain said of the total 43.26 lakh job card holders, only 28.75 lakh have bank accounts.

Under the scheme, the wage component of MGNREGA is to be released from the State Employment Guarantee Fund window directly to the worker's accounts based on a fund transfer order generated by State implementing agencies as per procedures prescribed by the Rural Development ministry. "Due to technical reasons, banks have not yet transferred wages amounting to Rs 4.47 crore to the job card holders this year. The government has asked the banks to expedite the payment," Hussain further said, in response to a query by AGP MLA Phani Bhusan Choudhury.

Since inception, altogether 2,16,255 schemes have been sanctioned in the State under MGNREGA of which 1,40,534 have been completed.

The Central government had sanctioned Rs 534.45 crore, Rs 573.49 crore and Rs 500.23 crore to the State under the scheme in the years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively.