A workshop was held here for awareness on the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This was part of a campaign of Agragamee in collaboration with the European Union in 1,000 villages of ten districts of Odisha.
Director, Agragamee and State convenor of RTI forum Achyut Das was concerned about the hidden agenda of the Government not to give information in many cases. A racket of brokers has emerged. There is rampant corruption in MGNREGS. This can be exposed by using RTI as a powerful instrument. The RTI and MGNREGA are two sides of the same coin. He expressed that the campaign in Rayagada had to be taken forward by the Citizen Action Groups and district level RTI forum. He was anguished over the non-adherence of voluntary disclosure by most of the public authorities.
Bidulata Huika, Ombudsman, spoke at length about the role of Ombudsman and told the MGNREGA related complaints to be of specific nature for action at the level of Ombudsman. She cited of a few examples of taking punitive action against the implementing authorities.
Apart from direct individual and community complaints, suo-moto notices are also sent to erring authorities taking into account the spot visits and media reports, she said.
Chief facilitator of MGNREGA social auditors’ training Dr Narendra Mishra sponsored by State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), spoke of irregularities in MGNREGA in Rayagada while conducting social audits in Halua, Tadama, Jemadeipentha and Kerada gram panchayats of Rayagada block.
The labourers present during the social audit were not aware about the ten entitlements in MGNREGA like right to a job card, right to demand work and get it, right to unemployment allowance, right to minimum wages, right to receive wages within 15 days of working, right to participate in the process of planning for development, right to work-site facilities, right to transparency, right to redressal of grievances and right to social audit.
Scribe Badal Tah, advisor, Senior Citizens’ Association N N Padhi, convenor, District RTI Forum Rabindra Patakhandal, tribal leader Sumani Jhodia, facilitator, Agragamee Promoda Panda spoke. Sudarshan Biswal extended a vote of thanks.