Jajpur: During Covid-19 and post the pandemic, both the Central and state governments have emphasised proper execution of projects under MGNREGS to ensure the scope of work to job card holders and rural people.
However, large-scale irregularities have scuttled the objective of the rural job scheme in Jajpur district, sources said Sunday. It has been alleged that administrative lethargy and the inability to act against corruption have encouraged scams in MGNREGS in many panchayats under Rasulpur block and other areas in the Jajpur district. In some cases, machines were used in projects instead of manual labour while fake attendance registers of local labourers were prepared to embezzle funds worth lakhs of rupees. Though locals have apprised the district collector regarding the situation, no action has been taken against the guilty, it was alleged.
Sources informed that 65 per cent of MGNREGS funds are being spent for construction and allied sectors while remaining 35% are used on projects utilising natural resources in this district. MGNREGS guidelines say a minimum 60 per cent of the funds will be used for paying wages. However, in this district, more than 50% of the funds are being used to hire machines, sources pointed out. They added that the remaining amount is usually shown as salaries paid to fictitious workers. An example will highlight the irregularities that are plaguing MGNREGS.
Since 2019-20 till date, massive funds have been misappropriated in Vikipur panchayat while work was done even on pastureland, which is against the MGNREGS guidelines.
Many such irregularities have been committed in Laxminagar panchayat during the Covid-19 outbreak. But no investigation has been carried out against the embezzlement, sources said. In Vikipur, lakhs of rupees have been looted through plantation projects. It was learned that over Rs 4.93 lakh was sanctioned in 2019- 20 for plantation on Matha ground. Only a few names of local workers were enrolled in the project.
Besides, huge amounts were sanctioned for projects like VikipurJokadia road, VikipurKrushnanagar road, land upgrading near Hingula temple, modernisation of a playground, and pond renovation of Hingula temple.
Sources said that many influential people are involved in the scams. However, as they wield power, locals do not openly speak out against them. Local resident Chandrasekhar Padhi and co-villagers of Vikipur had drawn the attention of the District Collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore towards the massive irregularities in MGNREGS projects. However, the scams continue. When contacted, the project director of DRDA, Ashok Kumar Behura said that he has not received any complaints about the alleged irregularities.