SRIKAKULAM: Battula Chandramma, who migrated to Bhubaneswar in Odisha many days ago from the village for eking out livelihood, was paid NREGS wages recently by the local field assistant. Similarly, more than 40 women from various women’s groups in the village were also paid though they did not attend to any work. The people of Keerthipuram in Ichchapuram mandal alleged that the NREGS funds were misappropriated by the local field assistant.
By manipulating the records, the field assistant defalcated about `10 lakh, they alleged. Since many women group members are illiterate, they were deceived by the local field assistant by threatening them to cancel their job cards if they do not put their thumb impression on the muster record. She also misguided the group members saying that their job cards would automatically lapse if they fail to attend to wage works over a period of time and also suggested to them to put their thumb impression on the muster card irrespective of whether they attend to the wage works or not.
It was learnt that the field assistant, in collusion with local village postmaster K Venkatesh, had made the payment on June 14 and 15. The major portion of the amount was swindled.
Payment only on record
“Though we did not attend to the wage works so far in the current financial year, we were asked to put the thumb impression on the muster card to avoid lapse of the cards,” said Nakkitla Bharathi, Nakkitla Janaki and Maha Laxmamma of the Keerthipuram village group. They also said that it was learnt that the payment which was made to them on record, was pocketed by the field assistant.
Similarly, Singatapu Tulasamma of Shiridi Sai Group and Karudi Santamma of Anjaneya Group also alleged that they were cheated and misguided by local field assistant Damayanti. They also demanded an official inquiry into the fraud immediately. Taking it very seriously, more than 10 women from the village on Monday met District Collector K Dhananjaya Reddy and lodged a complaint at the grievance cell at Srikakulam.
DWMA PD H Kurma Rao said that he would not spare anybody if such a fraud took place. He also said that a team of officials would investigate the matter immediately. Ichchapuram APO Prameela promised that she would probe the matter as she came to know of the fraud only after TNIE brought the issue to her notice. She also said that they had paid `1,45,000 so far to 217 wage workers from 196 families from Keerthipuram village. However, Keerthipuram NREGS field assistant Damayanti refuted the allegation and said that the village sarpanch and his followers politicised the issue.