lack of grievance redressal in NREGA
Rozi Roti
Apologies once again for the long silence.
The spate of recent complaints of embezzlement of funds, delays in payment of NREGA wages, etc has brought the question of the weak grievance redressal mechanisms to the fore. In states like Jharkhand and Bihar, conflicts around these issues have often taken a violent turn, as illustrated by the murder of Lalit Mehta, the suicide of Tapas Soren, and the attack on a defenceless crowd in Darbhanga (see below), among many other incidents.
There is little to report by way of government's response to this state of affairs, except for the setting up a "national helpline" on NREGA (item 1 below), and isolated cases of firm action on complaints (item 2 below). However, there is a move towards the framing of "Grievance Rederssal Rules" – more on this in the next update.
Please don't miss some of the recent writings on NREGA – the last item in this update.
Regards,
Reetika.
1. Government announces national helpline on NREGA
2. Action Taken Report after survey team lodges complaint in Surguja
3. SDO Runs Jeep Over NREGA Activists in Darbhanga
4. An example of loot in NREGA under Nitish rule
5. Employment Guarantee Turning out to be wage loser for tribals in Betul (MP)
6. Recent articles on NREGA
1. Govt announces national helpline on NREGA (Bureau Report)
New Delhi, Sept 11: To ensure proper implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), government on Thursday announced the setting up of a national helpline.
The helpline consisting of a toll free number -- 1800110707 -- will enable
NREGA households and others to seek assistance from the rural development
ministry for protection of their entitlements under the Act.
Through the helpline, NREGA households and other individuals and groups can
also raise their queries, submit their grievances and complaints and seek
guidance from the ministry, an official statement issued here said.
Through the helpline, the ministry would register the complaint and record the
details of the complaint and the complainant. It would provide a code number to
the complaint and give it to the user, and then would request the state
governments to take suitable remedial action on the complaint and send reply to
the complainant under intimation to the ministry.
2. Action Taken Report after survey team lodges complaint
(Based on a communication from Dr. Rohit Yadav, District Collector Surguja)
The enquiry of NREGA works at Gram Panchayat Mareya, Block Udaipur has finally concluded. The actions taken against the concerned officials is as follows :
1. Proposal to dismiss the Programme Officer - NREGA, Block Udaipur (Nodal Officer for implementing NREGA at Block level) has been sent to Commissioner - NREGA, Govt of Chhattisgarh (Competent authority). He has been attached to Zila Panchayat Office, Ambikapur till then.
2. The Technical Assistant - NREGA, Block Udaipur, who is responsible for measurement of the work, has been dismissed from service by CEO-ZP.
3. Rozgar Sahayak, Gram Panchayat Mareya (incharge of maintaining NREGA records at village level) has been dismissed by CEO-ZP.
4. Proposal for disciplinary action against SDO-RES (incharge for verifying the measurements) has been sent to Divisional Commissioner, Surguja.
5. Proposal for disciplinary action against the then CEO-Janpad Udaipur has been sent to Divisional Commissioner, Surguja. He is already suspended in an earlier case.
6. Proceedings under Section 40, Chhattisgarh Panchayati Raj Act has been initiated against Mareya Sarpanch (work agency for the concerned works) in the SDO-Revenue's Court. Section 40 pertains to removal of Sarpanch and debarring him from contesting elections for the next 6 years.
7. Recovery of Rs. 4.08 lakhs has been initiated against the erring officials.
Apart from the actions which have been taken at the district level, a continous follow-up of the sent proposals is being made.
3. SDO Runs Jeep Over NREGA Activists
(Received from Kavita Krishnan, AIALA)
Another episode of repression of agrarian workers was added tin Darbhanga of Bihar when protesting All India Agricultural Labour Association (AIALA) activists had to face ire of the SDO in Darbhanga when the latter ran over his jeep on protesting activists seriously injuring dozens of people. Gangia Devi's pelvic bone was badly crushed while Ramswarth's legs are broken in this ghastly incident. Some of the seriously injured have been referred by the hospital in Biraul to the DMCH in Darbhanga.
This incident happened when hundreds of people gathered at the SDO office in Biraul to demand proper implementation of NREGA, besides minimum wage, BPL cards to all poor and subsidised food-grains through PDS at the rate of Rs. 2 per Kg. This programme was held as a part of statewide call of AIALA on July 23, the hundredth anniversary of the first political strike of Indian working class. An agrarian strike was witnessed in more than 5,000 villages all over Bihar on this day. The rural poor protested at their respective panchayat offices, block offices and also in streets.
But the SDO in Biraul could not tolerate rural poor and agrarian workers speaking up for their just demands. And he chose the age old feudal and colonial style to teach them a lesson. Even police and local administration did not register a case after the incident and an FIR was lodged the next day after massive protests forced the administration to do so, but an FIR had already been filed by the police against the protesting activists on 23 July to save the SDO. As usual, no action has yet been taken against the SDO. AIALA General Secretary Dhirendra Jha has demanded immediate arrest of all those involved in this brutal repression. He has also demanded from the Government of Bihar for a special discussion on the plight of agricultural workers and rural poor in Bihar in the current session of the state Assembly.
AIALA has called for intensification of the agitation if the SDO was not punished soon or the state government tries to save the culprits.
4. An example of loot in NREGA under Nitish rule
Received from khetmazd...@gmail.com
The field reports of Mahmada and Kanaujar panchayat of Pusa and Kalyanpur
blocks, in Samastipur district indicate a picture of loot in NREGA under Nitish
government's rule. Rampur-Vishun panchayat is hardly 10 kilometres from
Samastipur district headquarters. In this Musahar dominated panchayat Rs
1,77,000 has been withdrawn in the name
of 14 job card holders. However, these persons have only got Rs 8700 from this
amount and 12-14 days of work, while the muster rolls claim that they have
already done 90 to 336 days of work! The excess wages claimed in the muster
rolls have been pocketed by the administration. Amongst the 14 card holders,
one belongs to the Paswan community and 13 to the Musahar community. So much
for, Nitish government's development plans for Mahadalit and MBCs! On the scale
of the fodder scam, in one of the blocks of Muzzafarpur district, it was
claimed that 25,000 disabled persons were given work
under NREGA. In Madhubani several blacklisted NGOs had been assigned NREGA
works who had gone on to misappropriate money allocated to them. In
several panchayats of Darbhanga
district, money was withdrawn in the name of projects that existed only on
paper. In Thar Thari panchayat of Nalanda district, projects estimated around
Rs 20-22 lakhs were presented as worth Rs 50 lakhs and money withdrawn by the
Mukhia and Junior Engineer.
In the last three years of the NREGA scheme, the job card holders have not even
got an average of 10 days of work while expenditure running into crores has
been incurred. Out of the 72 lakh job cards issued in Bihar,
a large number of cards continue to be in the possession of Mukhias,
secretaries and the Rozgar sevaks. As a consequence those
desperately in need of work are yet to receive the job cards. It is estimated
that only 30 percent of the funds spent so far has been received by the workers
while 70 percent has been looted by the system. In this way, more than Rs100
crores have been misappropriated, a sum bigger than the amount siphoned off
during the fodder scam.
Various sections of the ruling class have participated in this loot, robbing
the poorest of the poor in the process.
5. Employment Guarantee Turning out to be wage loser for tribals
Received from Anurag Modi (Samajwadi Jan Parishad, Shramik Adivasi Sanghthan)
Crores Of Rupees Wages Overdue In Betul District Alone
BETUL: "National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA), is turning out to be wage looser for tribals rather t5hen wage earner. After toiling for weeks together under the scheme now tribals are running from pillar to post to get their due wages. One such group of tribals from Shahpur and Bhimpur block of Betul is staging dharna at Betul collectorate since 23rd July demanding their wages. Around 250 tribal who worked in Kapildhara Yojna, one of the scheme component, and other work under NREGA in the month of April to mid June are staging the Dharna. There are atleast 10 cores rupee's payments due to be paid to tribal labour under the NERGA in Betul district.
Mangalsingh, Betul District President of Samajwadi Jan Parishad, said that a tribal from Damjipura remote area of Betul had to spend at least 125 Rs to and fro from Betul. When nobody at the block level listened to them all these labour came to Betul spending 125 Rs each plus they had to spend atleast 15 Rs a day on their food while staging a Dharna at Betul. He further said in this rainy season to arrange this much amount is a big deal for tribal. One has to borrow from moneylender and if not returned in time his whole wage got under NERGA will be eaten up by the moneylender or may be one has to pay from his pocket. The days lost in recovering the due wages are all extra burden on them. He said this year large number of tribals preferred to work under NERGA work in the village rather then migrating to plains in harvesting season. By this way they lost on both the account. Mangalsingh says this very experience of tribal of not getting payments for months together and that to at half the rate will reduce tribal's interest in the scheme during next harvesting season. Now again tribal will migrate in search of labour and whole NERGA scheme will turn out to be a big failure. He said he working as a wage labour for last 30 years and never in his life under one scheme labour has to take so much pain to get their wages.
Mr. Anurag Modi of the SJP said if this is not enough tribals are paid on the task rate basis which further reduces their payment by half. The MP government has issued a circular to get the work done on task rate. He said their party has issued 7 point memorandum regarding NERGA. The memorandum demand payment to be paid on minimum wage rate not task rate, weekly payment, composition for delayed part of payment, action against officials concern under atrocity act for delayed payment, payment to be made in cash at village rather then through bank account. It is noteworth that under NERGA labour is to get 100 days work in the village minimum wage that to on weekly payment basis so as they don't have to migrate."
6. Recent articles on NREGA
Jean Drèze, Ship
without Rudder, The Hindu, NREGA: ship without
rudder?, 19
July, 2008.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/19/stories/2008071954741100.htm
Mihir Shah and Prathamesh Ambasta, NREGA: Andhra Pradesh shows the way, The Hindu, 8 September, 2008.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/09/08/stories/2008090856271000.htm
Nandini Nayak, Songs of Hope, The Sunday Magazine, 14 September, 2008.
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/09/14/stories/2008091450150400.htm
P. Sainath, They lock on to the NREGA, 31 May, 2008 http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/may/psa-nrega.htm
Reetika Khera, Empowerment Guarantee Act, Economic and Political Weekly, 30 August, 2008 (http://www.epw.in/uploads/articles/12594.pdf)