Scam of 109 crores
Posted in Blog
To
The Minister for Rural Development
New Delhi
January 24th 2010
Dear Dr. Joshi
I would like to bring to your notice the gross misuse of NREGS by the government of Gujarat and the Chief Minister, as found through my colleague’s RTI. On the 15th of August, through a video conference with Collectors and other officials the CM announced that 200,000 “boribunds” should be built as water harvesting structures in Gujarat within thirty days under the NREGS scheme. (“Boribunds” are temporary inexpensive ways to block the runoff of water or to stop land being washed away and consist of empty cement or other gunny sacks filled with sand, wedged into the ground.) This was done at the cost of Rs 109 crores (estimate based on extrapolation from information gathered through the RTI) breaking the fundamental principals of the scheme.
The NREGS scheme states that:
1. 100 days of work would be given in rural areas to people registered under the scheme.
2. That the work needed to yield permanent structures and not temporary ones
3. That the public works be discussed and determined through the gram panchayat and that the decision be informed to the district level officer for budgeting
4. That work be started only after budgets have been approved
5. That a vigilance committee be set up to check on the work
6. That the expenditure must be audited
In the above mentioned case of misuse, the order was carried out on the basis of a command given during a conference call. It was later transmitted through a note from Sri Kailashnathan to all the Collectors (copy attached). The gram panchayats were not asked nor involved in the decision. The boribund is not a permanent structure – in fact in many of the 200,000 boribunds made, plastic bags were used (photos attached) which tore within the first few days. Besides the District Rural Development cells which are supposed to be in charge of NREGS work, work was handed to the forest department, the road department and even to NGOs. The boribunds were built just about anywhere, including in the middle of fields with no run off possibilities and just off main roads.
I attach herewith some of the details we have received pertaining to the amounts spent and the number of such sacks filled!
I would be happy to provide your office with all the material received through our RTI and urge you to intervene in this huge scandal and misuse of central government funds.
Sincerely
Mallika V Sarabhhai
For CRANTI
Centre for Research, Public Action and Accountability
