Question : SWARNA JAYANTI SHAHARI ROZGAR YOJANA

(a): whether SJSRY is essentially a wage employment programme and guidelines provide for the works of construction of socially and economically useful public assets are to be done departmentally to provide wage employment to the beneficiaries;

(b): if so, the reasons for works costing Rs. 7.03 crore having been got executed through contracts in Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Orissa, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Rajasthan, Pondicherry, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh;

(c): whether muster rolls were not maintained and where maintanined, were kept in an imperfect manner and payment to ineligible beneficiaries cannot be ruled out in certain States;

(d): if so, whether any enquiry has been conducted for getting the works done through contractors and not maintaining accurate record of employment generation, the persons responsible and accountable therefor brought to book; and

(e): if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT & POVERTY ALLEVIATION ( SHRI BANDARU DATTATREYA )

(a): SJSRY is essentially a sustainable employment generation programme, which also has the component Urban Wage Employment. This component provides wage employment to beneficiaries living below the poverty line within the jurisdiction of Urban Local Bodies by utilizing their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. This work is required to be done departmentally. It also provides that where departmental work is not possible, due to specialised nature of the work involved, such material component of the work may be got done through agencies by following the proper tendering/Government procedure.

(b): The information is being collected from the concerned States.

(c)to(e): The matter has been taken up with all the concerned States and in this regard reports received from the following States are as under:-


(i) The Government of Rajasthan has informed that during 1995 because of flood in Ghaghar river most of the urban colonies were destroyed and for immediately relief the services of contractors were utilized. In this regard action is in process against the defaulting officers.

(ii) The Government of Pondicherry has reported that an amount of Rs.10.37 lakhs has been utilized for construction of Community Hall-Cum-Office Building in the land belonging to Pondicherry Municipality through contractors so as to provide infrastructure support to the urban poor people and for multifarious activities to the beneficiaries under the scheme. The matter is being further investigated by the State.

(iii) The State of Nagaland has also reported that during the initial period 1999-2000 certain portion of the works were executed through contractors recognized by the Government of Nagaland. But now all the works are executed through local bodies by the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) in respective Districts.

(iv) The Government of Assam has also revealed that the works under Urban Wage Employment Programme worth Rs.18.42 lakhs were executed through contractors in three urban local bodies. Immediate action was taken by the State by issuing instructions to the concerned authorities to strictly adhere to the Government of India instructions on the subject. The matter is being investigated by the State.


(v) The State Government of Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat have denied that the works having been got executed through contractor.


Reports from the States of Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Arunchal Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar are awaited.