Dimapur, August 21 (EMN): Two days after the anti-graft body ACAUT’s allegation that more than Rs 1000 crores have been released under MGNREGA in the state for the previous financial year, the RD department has found a friend in the VBD association of Nagaland when it came to the former’s defence stating it as a case of miscommunication and that only Rs. 502.1 crore was released.
“…it is our bounded duty to act as a communication bridge to clarify certain issues that are created due to lack of genuine communication gap and mis-information that may create undue negative impressions on the public,” stated the press release of the Nagaland State VDB Association.
Earlier, in an allegation that was published in local papers on August 20, based on documents from the finance department ACAUT had alleged that Rs. 1188,79,10,000/- (1188 Crores 79 Lakhs and 10 thousand only) was released under MGNREGA for the financial year 2016-17.
It also questioned the department why only 3-4 mandays of wages were paid to the villagers out of the money released.
The association in reply stated that, as a responsible organisation, has been actively involved in the process of developmental fund released by taking up necessary issues with the Central government and the government in the state to avail funds of centrally sponsored schemes and its timely release ensuring that the regular flow of funds are made.
The MGNREGA funds are demand driven and any delay in release of CSS funds by the state government attracts deduction and penalties by the Central government.
“This delay leads to reduction of CSS funds to the Sate. The pressure thus impressed by the Association on the department and the state Govt: has ensured that Nagaland has been receiving CSS grants on a regular basis,” the press release stated.
The association also stated that MGNREGA funds once released by the state finance department are then released to the respective districts which are then further credited directly into the VDBs account and that “no MGNREGA funds can be released from the VDB Account without the approval and information of the VDB Secretary” as the accounts are jointly operated between the BDO, the Village Council Chairman and the VDB Secretary of each village.
“The funds released are not on a uniform allocation as there is a guidelines provisions on providing special allocation to special activities such as SAGY Villages, PPI Blocks and those village selected for convergent activities, such as piggery project with Veterinary department, Cardamom plantations with Horticulture Department Angawadi Centers with social Welfare Department are provided additional man days,” it added.
On the allegation of mandays less than the mandated 100 days of mandays in a year the associations stated that the MGNREGA Act mandates ” to provide upto 100 days of guaranteed wages of employment in a financial year to every rural households whose adult members volunteers to do unskilled manual work”.
Therefore the 100 days of mandays is not mandatory but it depends upon the individuals to “voluntarily work” for wages and it also depends on “funds availability”.
It stated that the “national man day average is 47” and no state in the country has achieved 100 mandays.
The association further cited reports from the RD department that the release for MGNREGA for 2016-17 on three different occasions totalled to Rs. 502.1 crores only.
