Complaints galore on MGNREGS works

Srikakulam: In the wake of irregularities under Centrally sponsored scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), 5,327 complaints were registered in a span of 11 financial years in Srikakulam district.

On an average every year, 485 complaints were lodged regarding works from 2007-08 since inception of the scheme till 2017-18. Out of them, 4,662 complaints were disposed and 665 are still pending.

Regarding these complaints, 14,081 financial objections were disclosed and of them 5,161 objections were settled so far and 8,920 are pending at various levels.

After receiving complaints from ground-level, a third-party procedure was initiated, which is known as social audit at village-level. Later, at mandal-level public hearing was conducted on social audit findings by the project director of District Water Resources Management Agency (DWMA) who acted as presiding officer for public hearing.

DWMA is a nodal agency for MGNREGS at district-level. Finally. misappropriated amount was fixed at Rs 2,62,45,161 of it, Rs 87,37,882 was recovered and pending amount is Rs 1,75, 07, 729.

After proving charges, 145 field assistants, 17 technical assistants, one engineering consultant were terminated. Total 332 cases were referred under Revenue Recovery Act to recover Rs 9,04,983 and 136 criminal cases were lodged regarding misuse of Rs 80,77,099.

Social audit and public hearing are preventing anomalies in MGNREGS and complaints also reduced for the past one year in the district, project director of DWMA Hanumanthu Kurma Rao told The Hans India.