Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh made a case for national debt waiver scheme for farmers. (Express photo)
THE TOP brass of the Guardians of Governance programme in Punjab is miffed at the “zero percent” action taken record of Patiala administration on the issues raised by the retired army men appointed under the programme.
Patiala is the hometown of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. The Guardians of Governance programme is the brainchild of the CM, in which ex-servicemen have been employed to monitor the implementation of welfare schemes of Centre and State government in Punjab.
GoG vice chairman Major General S P S Grewal (retd) said Monday that there was “zero per cent” action taken on the issues raised by the GoGs in Patiala district “till yesterday”.
He added that Patiala Deputy Commissioner had Monday promised to act on the complaints in 48 hours. Grewal said since February 1, Guardians of Governance in Patiala district had raised around “5,000 issues”. He added that Tarn Taran led in the action taken percentage with action on 74 per cent of the issues raised by the GoGs.
However, Patiala Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit, when contacted, said, “It [action taken record] is not zero per cent. There is nothing zero about it. We are getting the complaints probed. We are not doing it in a random manner. We are also monitoring. I do not know what is the source of your information. I do not know from where this magic figure has come.”
The DC said he was getting “proper summary inquiry” to address the issues raised under GoG programme. “If you have some issue relating to some land in the village and if I get the disposal done without sending any official there, that is not disposal. I have to have a proper summary inquiry, in case 2,000 applications are marked to me.”
Asked to quantify, at least tentatively, the issues in which Patiala administration had taken action on issues raised by the GoGs, DC said he did not have the figures since server of the portal was down. “You can check the portal and in next 48 hours, there will be substantial progress,” added the DC.
Patiala ADC (Development) Shaukat Ahmed Pare said, “The issues they (GoGs) are raising are no serious issues. They say that at some particular time, MGNREGA work is not going on in some village. It is not necessary that if you have 1,000 villages, MGNREGA work will run in all those villages simultaneously. We do get the works done under MGNREGA when we receive applications, but in villages where residents do not want to work as labourers, how can I get the work done under MGNREGA…”
Pare said he was monitoring MGNREGA scheme and received nearly 200 complaints under GoG programme. “90 per cent of those relate to outstanding payments, which have to be made by the Centre government,” Pare said, adding that he had sent “80 per cent of the replies”. He added, “ It takes around 15 odd days for processing each complaint and sending a reply.”