MGNREGA irregularities: Centre asks Jharkhand to submit report

Dharmvir Jha, Director, MGNREGA, under the Union Rural Development Ministry, wrote to Jharkhand MGNREGA Commissioner Rajeshwari B, asking for an action taken report, including information on FIR registered in the matter and disciplinary action against officials.

Asking the state to furnish the details by February 7 “without fail”, the Union ministry sought the state’s response in a manner which showed its “seriousness” in taking strict action.

On January 14, The Indian Express reported on key irregularities found by the Social Audit Unit of the Jharkhand Rural Development Department in its latest MGNREGA concurrent audit.

According to the findings, more than 1.59 lakh workers were listed in the records but around 75 per cent of them were missing from work sites. Also, machines were used for work meant to generate jobs for people and beneficiaries were found to have struck deals with contractors to use their names on muster rolls in return for a cut from direct money transfers. Contractors were found to be using contract labour instead of local work-seekers.

In his letter, Jha wrote, “Please refer to email on this subject from GOI in reference to the news article ‘Missing workers, dodgy roles, wage diversion: NREG audit in Jharkhand’ published in The Indian Express dated 14 January 2022 on the concurrent audit conducted in various districts of the state. In this regard, you have been requested to ensure that action in taken in all such cases with full force for the Gram Panchayat.”

The letter directed action within three weeks: “…The action taken against officials including GRS, BDOs, engineers/PRI functionaries involved in the malpractice, if any. The action should have information on FIR lodged, disciplinary proceedings initiated and concluded, recovery proposed and made. System in place for monitoring action being taken on the findings of the concurrent audits. Systemic changes/checks introduced for stopping/mitigating irregularities.”

The concurrent audit was conducted in two phases in October last year in 1,118 of the state’s 4,331 panchayats. At the 26,000 work sites audited, audit teams found only 40,629 of the 1.59 lakh workers whose names were on the rolls submitted online.