Poor NREGA implementation in Bundelkhand says audit survey

LUCKNOW: Despite the hype over the NREGA scheme, a survey has found out that about 52 per cent of the poor and needy households in the backward region of Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh did not get a single day of NREGS employment during the last year.

The average actual NREGA employment provided to per needy household during the previous 12 months was about 21 days in Chitrakoot district, 19 days in Banda, 9 days in Mahoba, and 26 days in Hamirpur and 31 days in Lalitpur district.

The performance audit survey was carried out by Centre for Environment and Food Security in 130 villages spread over 12 districts of Bundelkhand-UP. CEFS has also submitted the findings to the Supreme Court, which is hearing a PIL filed by it on misappropriation of funds under Mahantama Gandhi NREGA, said Director, CEFS, Parshuram Ray.

He said that their performance audit also brought to light that 43.7 per cent of Dalit households in Bundelkhand-UP do not have any ration card and 19.8 per cent had APL cards only on which they get nothing except kerosene oil. This means that 63.5 per cent of poor Dalit households in Bundelkhand have no access to PDS gains at all, said Mr Rai

During the audit it was found that, very few villagers have seen muster rolls and there is very little transparency and accountability in the implementation of rural jobs scheme, said Mr Parshuram Rai.

He said that the poor are denied jobs and because they are not issued acknowledgement of work application they are unable to get the unemployment allowance also.