Not all well with NREGA scheme, finds parliamentary panel

NEW DELHI The parliamentary standing committee on rural development has found several “disquieting features and irregularities” in the Centre’s rural employment guarantee scheme and exhorted the government to undertake urgent reforms in its planning, implementation, monitoring and auditing.

A revamp of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is imperative if the programme has to realise its objectives, the committee has said in a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.

“The present system of vigilance and monitoring--social audit, national level monitor, supervision and inspection of works, etc. has not been able to prevent misappropriate of funds, violation of guidelines etc,” the committee has said.

It has detailed in its report evidence of fudging of job cards, delay in payment of wages, non-payment of unemployment allowances, incomplete works, poor quality of assets created and a large number of cases of misappropriation, malpractices and corruption.

The panel has identified as a priority improved planning at the panchayat level to ensure better utilisation of resources. It has suggested emphasis on semi-skilled and skilled work and asked the rural development ministry to improve the synergy between NREGA and National Rural Livelihood Mission-Ajeevika. It has also said vigilance cells should be set up at the state and district levels.