SHILLONG: The state government has detected huge number of irregularities and discrepancies in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Selsella Block in West Garo Hills which has forced the government to order a probe into the matter.
Government officials informed that the amount involved in the irregularity is big and the SDO (Civil) Dadenggre was conducting an inquiry into the matter.
However, the officer was transferred and now an Additional District Magistrate is conducting an inquiry.
Officials informed that the government makes payment of 60 per cent under the scheme for labour and 40 per cent for the supply of materials and as per rules, the money for supply of materials should be credited to the account of the supplier.
However, in some places of West Garo Hills district, money is released into the account of the chairman or the secretary of the Village Employment Council (VEC) as they come with explanations like some suppliers don’t have account and some say that banks are too far.
Stating that there is a chain reaction to the entire wrong doing as sometimes suppliers are given amount for the material which he or she has supplied and sometimes suppliers are also paid more for the supply which they have made.
Informing that FIRs have also been filed into the matter, officials added that such problems do not occur in Khasi-Jaintia Hills where the Block Development Officer makes the payment directly into the account of the supplier.
The MGNREGA is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
