MGNREGA falls flat as J&K owes Rs 750-crore liabilities

JAMMU: The Centre’s flagship scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has virtually come to a standstill in Jammu and Kashmir as the state owes a whopping liability of about Rs 750 crore in terms of wages to labourers and cost of material used for carrying out developmental works.

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 1

The Centre’s flagship scheme, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has virtually come to a standstill in Jammu and Kashmir as the state owes a whopping liability of about Rs 750 crore in terms of wages to labourers and cost of material used for carrying out developmental works.

If the stakeholders are to be believed, the state’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD&PR) Department allegedly diverted funds meant for the scheme to clear its liabilities under other heads.

Also, the department has allegedly violated MGNREGA guidelines with impunity as payment of wages to labourers, who worked under the scheme in 2016 and 2017, have not been released till date, thereby defeating the purpose of the scheme. Under rules, funds should be released to labourers within 15 days after they perform their jobs.

Official sources told The Tribune that the RD&PR Department owed a liability of Rs 336.20 crore in Kashmir division alone till March 31, out of which Rs 258.21 crore is under labour component.

In Jammu division, the total liability under the scheme is over Rs 400 crore. Sources claimed the “funds position” from the Centre remained “tight”, which hampered the development activities in rural areas of the state.

“Broadly speaking, it (liability) is little over Rs 400 crore. There were certain discrepancies in the bills and NIC statistics. We are re-compiling this amount under the scheme,” said Rehana Batul, Director General, RD&PR Department, Jammu division.

The director general admitted that the department owed the liabilities under labour component even for the year 2016 and 2017.

Shafiq Mir, chairman of All Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), said, “The scheme has failed in the state. During our meeting with K Skandan, Advisor to the Governor last month, we asked him to close this scheme as it is not fulfilling its purpose”.

Kant Kumar, a tile manufacturer in Kathua district, alleged that the department had diverted funds worth Rs 216 crore which were meant for clearing liabilities under MGNREGA scheme.

“Small-scale tile manufacturers, who had supplied tiles to the department for various works, have been pushed to the wall. The department has cleared the liability of some cement industrialists while labourers are still waiting for their meagre wages,” Kumar said.

However, Sheetal Nanda, Secretary, RD&PR Department, refuted the charges of any fund diversions and said “We were waiting for funds from the Centre but it was not provided to us at the last moment. We are expecting to get Rs 216 crore by May to clear some liabilities”.