MGNREGA Scam: Dead ‘come alive’ to reap rural job largesse

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 4

Amarjit Kaur of Pakhi Kalan village in Faridkot reportedly worked for 18 days under MGNREGA in November 2019 and was paid Rs 4,338 on February 26, 2020. But, she had died on April 19, 2019, as per the death certificate issued by the Chief Registrar, Births and Deaths.

Vidya, wife of Jeet Singh, had died on November 17, 2018, but was paid the wages in lieu of work under MGNREGA in January 2020.

Villager moves HC as dept ‘fails to act’

• For the past one year, there are allegations of embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in many villages of Faridkot
• The authorities have received several complaints in this regard. But after no action was taken, Deepinder Singh, a resident of Pakhi Kalan village, approached the HC in January
• On April 27, the High Court had issued directions to the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat to conduct an inquiry

Pakhi Kalan’s cases are not alone. Dead persons have allegedly come alive to draw wages from accounts under the MGNREGA in some villages of Faridkot.

On the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat has conducted an inquiry and it has indicted the Pakhi Kalan village sarpanch and two officials of the department for paying wages to Amarjit.

While the Director of the department has placed the sarpanch under suspension, proceedings to initiate departmental action against the department officials have also been started.

For the past over one year, there are allegations of embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in many villages of Faridkot. The authorities have received several complaints in this regard. But after the authorities allegedly did not take any serious note of the complaints, Deepinder Singh, a resident of Pakhi Kalan, had approached the High Court in January this year.

On April 27, the High Court had issued directions to the department to conduct an inquiry. Earlier, in September, 2020, the Union Rural Development Ministry had ordered an inquiry into the embezzlement of funds and a five-member MGNREGA team from New Delhi had visited four villages of Faridkot to probe the allegations of irregularities and misuse of funds.

It is alleged that some dead people still figure on the muster rolls and wage remuneration was being drawn against their names.

Not only money was fraudulently drawn against the dead, but there have also been rampant misuse of funds by way of enlisting ghost beneficiaries and fake muster rolls, it is alleged.