The dead are alive in Orissa. Not only that, they are also involved in daily labour. At least, that is what the records of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in the state say.
Under NREGS, Orissa has paid wages to people who died long ago, students studying far away, government employees as well as businessmen!
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which has conducted a performance audit, found 18 muster rolls wherein wages were paid to seven deceased besides students, employees and businessmen. While Rs 11,521 was paid to the dead, Rs 44,859 was paid to students, employees and businessmen.
The CAG also found irregularities in the implementation of the central secheme. The audit was ordered by the Union rural development ministry following allegations by a Delhi-based NGO, the Centre for Environment and Food Security, that NREGS funds of Rs 500 crore had been misappropriated in the state.
??The CAG report has vindicated the worst fear of the Opposition that the Naveen Patnaik government is involved in gross misutilisation of NREGS funds provided by the Centre??, says Congress state president, Jayadev Jena.
The CAG performance report for fiscal 2006-07 has detected irregularities in districts like Kalahandi, Balangir, Gajapati, Keonjhar.
According to the report, 149 packages worth Rs 7.55 crore in Bhawanipatna block of Kalahandi district were executed through contractors in the guise of village labour leaders (VLL), contrary to NREGS provisions. Three road works, executed at a cost of Rs 15 lakh in the block, remained kuchcha even after improvement. Delay in execution of 46 works in the block led to excess payment of Rs 35 lakh, while several projects under the scheme were executed without the gram sabha?s approval, which is mandatory.
Interestingly, the CAG found 18 muster rolls wherein wage payments were made to deceased persons, students, businessmen and government and private employees. Further, in about 48 gram panchayats, the number of registered below poverty line (BPL) households was more than the actual household. ??Verification of records of 48 gram panchayats revealed that 37,630 households were registered for jobs as against 31,027 BPL households.??
In the districts of Balangir, Gajapati and Keonjhar, the CAG found that the very purpose of the NREGS had been defeated as the government failed to provide unemployment allowance. In 12 test-checked blocks, as many as 5,143 registered households were not provided unemployment allowance even after the government failed to provide them work.
In 18 gram panchayats of the three districts, only 7,038 out of 26,055 registered persons had applied and reported for work in 2006-07. The CAG also found several cases of delayed payment.
The performance audit report also pointed out diversion of funds for payment of staff salary and to the calamity relief fund, non-registration of many households despite submission of applications and non-issue of job cards to several applicants.