BALANGIR: Reports of irregularities have come to the fore again in the implementation of MGNREGS in Turekela block of the migration-prone district. The officials concerned have pocketed the fund meant for the unemployed villagers by preparing fake muster rolls.
Sources said an RTI reply has revealed that nine villagers of Mahulpati panchayat, who died three years ago, have been found in the muster rolls. This apart, 25 students, including 22 minors, 12 Government employees including teachers, forest guards, cook of anganwadi centre, railway employees and Krushak Sathis were found to be working under the rural job scheme in the block.
Former Sarpanch Kartika Sahu, who had filed RTI, said at least 49 muster rolls of the panchayat were verified and it was found that there was no signature of any official on the records while only 12 people had worked on a day. Similarly, three work orders have been issued to one family while 80 Old Age Pension beneficiaries have availed the work and two job cards provided to one person, he alleged.
As per the muster roll, Sabitri Sagaria of Mahulpati village, who died in 2008, has worked under the MGNREGS during 2016-17. Similarly, students from Women’s College, Padampur, Sriram College of Nursing, Sohela in Bargarh district and Government Autonomous College, Bhawanipatna were found to be working in the block. But at the ground-level, no work has been undertaken and only muster rolls were prepared to grab the fund, he said.
Sahu has also filed a complaint before the Balangir Collector seeking an inquiry into the matter.
Contacted, Balangir PD, DRDA Maheswar Swain said the administration is investigating into the matter and an inquiry has already been initiated.
A team from the DRDA had visited the block office recently to take stock of the situation while the muster rolls are being verified, he added. According to reports, the district has 2,82,137 job card holders of which 65,412 had applied for job till date.
Fraud in ICDS food stuff procurement alleged
Balangir: Food stuff worth J2 crore has been supplied to different schools under ICDS programme in the district by a grocery store that does not exist. One Ananga Thakur of Balangir brought the allegation stating that there is no grocery store by the name of Ganesh Kirana Store in the town. “I submitted a petition to the Collector on April 10 with all relevant documents but no action has been taken so far,” said Thakur, who lodged a complaint requesting to unearth a major scam in implementation of ICDS programme.
As per the allegation, the store stated to be located along the main road in Balangir does not exist. The bills produced by Sabitri SHG of Sialbahali mention that the SHG purchased supply items from the aforementioned store.Claiming to have received threats from goons, Thakur reported the matter to the Sub-collector. Thakur said the SHG, which got permission to supply chatua to 105 anganwadi centres in Balangir block, had replaced the ingredients like whole buta dal and groundnut with cheap flattened rice.Balangir Sub-Collector Radheshyam Padhi said he is conducting inquiry on behalf the Collector and the report will be submitted to the Collector soon.