Statesman News Service
MALDA, 13 APRIL: Seven gram panchayats of Kaliachak-I block of Malda have failed to implement the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in last financial year.
Administrative officials and political leaders, including the sabhadhipati of the Malda zilla parishad, who resides in Kaliachak, have been disappointed reviewing the performance report of the seven gram panchayats in this district.
The officers can not understand why the rural employment scheme has not been implemented.
The block development officer had recently asked the nodal officer of MGNREGS not to allot funds to those gram panchayats apprehending that the funds will be misappropriated by some people.
In the last financial year, pradhan of Jalalpur gram panchayat in Kaliachak-I has returned Rs 1, 13,456.50, which was allotted for the scheme. The gram panchayat officers have also informed the administration that they are not interested to implement the scheme.
Like Jalalpur, other gram panchayats of Alipur-I & II, Alinagar-I, Majampur, Silampur I and II have fared badly in that regard.
“There are many reasons behind this hapless performance. The office bearers do not bother to follow the government’s guidelines and system. They do what they think is right. No body can control them”, said Mr Tanay Deb Sarkar, nodal officer of the MGNREGS in Malda.
He said, the district magistrate Mr Sridhar Ghosh held a special meeting with the officer bearers of seven gram panchayats in Kaliachak-I to implement 100-days job guarantee scheme. The DM had threatened to withdraw funds from those civic bodies. After the meeting, gram panchayat officials acted busy for some days just for the sake of formalities.
In Malda, out of 146 gram panchayats, 49 ones have been identified as poor performers. But out of 49, the seven gram panchayats in Kaliachak-I are worst.
“We have been able to utilise 92.75 percent funds allotted for this district in last financial year. Had those seven gram panchayat performed well, the district would have spent more funds”, said Mr Sridhar Ghosh, Malda district magistrate.
Many people in those areas are migrant labourers and always prefer to work outside of the state. Many women in these areas are engaged in making bidi at home. A section of labourers work in the sericulture sector, while some other groups are engaged in harvesting including magoes and litchi.
Smuggling is rampant along India and Bangladesh border. Recently poppy cultivation in Kaliachak-I has gone up, which pays much better than the government schemes.
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