Question : IRREGULARITIES UNDER MGNREGS



(a) the funds allocated/utilized, jobs created/provided and wages released under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during each of the last two years and the current year, State-wise;

(b) whether the Government is aware of the alleged corruption and irregularities prevalent therein and has received/ noticed any complaints viz. fake job cards, payment of less wages, diversion of funds, fudging of muster rolls, middlemen involvement, denial of jobs/wages to women, gender discrimination, inability of opening of accounts in banks/post offices and delayed payments etc. during the said period;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon, State-wise;

(d) whether the Government has received any report from the Planning Commission also in this regard and if so, the details thereof;

(e) the steps taken, if any, to appoint inquiry committee in the matter by involving Members of Parliament and to rope in the private sector in MGNREGS; and

(f) the effective monitoring mechanism envisaged for the job?

Answer given by the minister


MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. C.P. JOSHI)

(a ) to (f): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Statement as referred to in reply to parts (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No.146 for answer on 08-03-2010.

(a): State-wise details of funds released by the Centre, funds utilized by the States, mandays of employment generated and wages paid to the unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA during the years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 (up to January, 2010) are given in Annexure-I.

(b & c): A total of 1230 complaints regarding irregularities in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA have been brought to the notice of the Ministry of Rural Development since inception of the Act. All cases of irregularities are referred to the concerned State Governments for taking appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of the Act. The Ministry also deputes National Level Monitors to the concerned districts to look into some specific complaints. State-wise details are as under:


State Total complaints Number of Number of received complaints complaints so far on which pending with action has the State been Governments completed

Andhra Pradesh 12 11 1
Assam 29 9 20
Bihar 118 31 87
Chhattisgarh 35 24 11
Goa 1 0 1
Gujarat 14 6 8
Himachal Pradesh 12 7 5
Haryana 23 15 8
Jharkhand 86 52 34
Karnataka 11 7 4
Kerala 4 2 2
Lakshadweep 1 0 1
Madhya Pradesh 218 123 95
Maharashtra 13 4 9
Manipur 6 2 4
Mizoram 1 1 0
Nagaland 5 2 3
Orissa 29 7 22
Punjab 11 3 8
Rajasthan 161 44 117
Tamil Nadu 6 5 1
Tripura 20 2 0
Uttar Pradesh 390 239 151
Uttrakhand 10 4 6
West Bengal 32 13 19

Total 1230 613 617

(d): No, Sir. In this regard, no report from the Planning Commission has been received in the Ministry.

(e): No, Sir. The Ministry has not appointed any inquiry committee in the matter.

(f): With a view to ensure an effective monitoring mechanism for implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the following steps have been taken.

(i) A Web enabled Management Information System (MIS) (www.nrega.nic.in) has been made operational which places all critical parameters such as job cards, muster rolls, wage payments, number of days of employment provided and works under execution online for monitoring and easy public access for information.

(ii) Wage disbursement to Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers through Banks/Post Office accounts has been made mandatory to ensure proper disbursement of wages to Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers. To cover the gaps in financial services and outreach and also to ensure greater transparency in wage disbursement, Rural ATM, hand held devices, smart cards and biometrics have been initiated.

(iii) The Ministry has accorded utmost importance to the organization of Social Audits by the Gram Panchayats and issued instructions to the States to make necessary arrangements for the purpose. Modifications have been made in para 13 of Schedule-I of the Act to provide for procedures on conducting social audits. The Ministry has issued instructions to the State Governments for enforcement of the new social audit provisions under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA

(iv) Scheme for Independent Monitoring by eminent citizens has been approved.

(v) District level Vigilance and Monitoring Committees have been set up for monitoring of rural development programmes including Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.

(vi) Progress of the Act is regularly reviewed in the Performance Review Committee meetings held on quarterly basis. State specific reviews are also undertaken.

(vii) Members of the Central Employment Guarantee Council visit various districts to oversee the implementation of the Act.

(viii) The Central Employment Guarantee Council has set-up Sub-Groups to consider issues related to Mahatma Gandhi NREGA including transparency, Social Audit etc.