• MNREGA link rears its ugly head again
• DRDA allegedly demanding 40% from VDB’s MNREGA fund
• Job card holders threaten with Vigilance & AC action
• 5-days served to DRDA for ‘valid clarification’
EMN
Dimapur, June 9
Nagaland, widely whispered by the public to be the land of extortion, undue monetary collections and colossal deductions, is in the news again. This time, job card holders have asked the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Dimapur district to answer within five days why it was exacting so-called “deduction” amounting to a massive 40% from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).
The irate citizens have threatened to take the matter to the State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption authorities if ‘valid’ clarifications are not offered within five days.Two citizens, a job card holder each from Thilixu village and Nagarjan village in Dimapur, issued a copy of a representation to this newspaper alleging ‘forced deduction’ of no fewer than 40% of the MNREGS funds allegedly being demanded by the DRDA. The letter was addressed to the project director of the agency.
“It has come to the notice of the Job Card holders that your office is demanding the deduction of 40% of fund allotted to Village Development Board under MGNREGS by directing the concern BDO to comply with the said order which has already been deposited in the A/c of Village Development Board,” the representation said.
The representation was appended by Nikhevi Yeptho and Kekhriengulie Tehruja of Thilixu and Nagarjan villages. The complainants have sought “valid response” within five days of the representation being published. The director of the DRDA is asked to clarify to job-card holders
• “on what basis you are deducting such a huge percentage and for what purpose and how legitimate is such deduction?”
• that on whose directive such a huge percentage of deduction is being demanded?
• that under what section of MGNREGS Act 2005 has authorized the project director to deduct such a huge percentage of fund which is specifically meant for the development of the rural areas and if there is any mention about such discretion you are requested to specify the section within the Act and clarify to the general public?”
The representation has requested all village development board secretaries and chairmen of village councils not to “comply with the forceful deduction of the project director until the valid clarification is given by project director, Dimapur”.
If the DRDA’s project director fails to offer “valid clarification”, the representation warned, “We will be compelled to lodge a complaint to the Vigilance Commission Nagaland against the forceful and illegal deduction by the project director”.
