The RTI findings by the muster roll workers of the Department of Sericulture & Weaving are shocking to say the least. Not only the names of workers who have been terminated since October 2014 have continued to appear in the salary sheet of the Department up to 2017 but in some cases the list of names have been inflated by almost 80%. The question arises as to where all that money drawn for several months in those ghost names has disappeared. Explanations by the District Sericulture Officers that the practice of inflating names is necessary because of the meagre allocation and tardy fund flow and because the Department has to sustain the work despite funds constraints so it has to raise the budget projections by showing names in excess of the people employed. This is either a poor attempt at corruption or sheer incompetence of the Department head to position Sericulture & Weaving as a Department with huge potential for producing niche products with an international market, which is what few private producers have done.
The muster roll workers in the Sericulture & Weaving Department are highly skilled individuals and their services are actually required throughout the year. In fact most of them multi-task and work even on Sundays when they have to feed the Eri and Muga silk worms. Yet what they earn is a pittance even though they are skilled workers and the backbone of the Department. At the moment the muster rolls are paid a daily wage of Rs 203 per day. Most of them are engaged only seasonally. A study into the working of the Department will reveal that it lacks a road map and has just been chugging along for decades without any fund infusion and without allowing it to go into commercial production to make it vibrant and viable and so that more people are gainfully employed. At the moment the Department is a non-performer.
Sericulture & Weaving is only one department engaging muster rolls. There are others like the MeECL, the PWD and others. The same manipulation must be happening in those departments too which have not come to the fore. It’s time for a social audit of all government departments. This is the only way to stem the rot!