Dimapur, April 19 (EMN): In an apparent reference to the recent imbroglio in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) funds distribution in relation to Kuda (Nagarjan) village council, the Nagaland State VDB Secretaries’ Association (NSVDBSA) has urged the authorities to give ‘equal treatment’ to all the districts, blocks and villages when distributing funds.
The association issued a press release jointly issued by its President Tohoshe Awomi and General Secretary Manthungo Kikon. It ‘appreciated’ the Rural Development department for regularly providing MGNREGA funds but it has urged for ‘equal treatment to all the districts, blocks and villages in the distribution of funds.’
While pointing out that there were ‘many departments in the state functioning in different ways for the benefits of all the people living in Nagaland,’ it stated that only the Rural Development department was providing fund ‘to all the villages in one go for development.’ Presently, it stated, the ‘most important scheme’ of the RD department was the MGNREGS programme.
‘Without any ulterior motive,’ the association appealed to the department to give equal treatment. While pointing that there were big, medium and small villages in all the districts and blocks, the association explained that ‘big villages with more job cards’ should get ‘more funds.’ Likewise, small villages should also get their ‘due share as per their entitlement.’
It pointed out that the MGNREGS fund cannot be the same in two villages even if two villages have an equal number of job cards. The reason was that the VDB fund is allocated according to ‘person days generated.’ The group termed ‘highly objectionable’ vast differences in fund allocation to a particular village. Because Dimapur district has the maximum number of VDB having 214 VDB and more than 70 thousand job cards, the association stated that Dimapur district was entitled to getting more funds than any other district.
The group has urged the department to ensure that the MGNREGS fund are allocated ‘as per the work done by the village and person days generated in the management Information system (MIS).’
Stating that the present release of MGNREGA fund was to clear pending liabilities from the previous financial year 2017-18, the association stated that new work cannot be taken up with the current release of the MGNREGS fund.
It, therefore, directed all the VDB to ensure that only the works reflected in the MIS ‘against the financial year 2017-2018 should be taken up to prevent problem at the time of geo-tagging’ and other related issues.
Also claiming that the association wants ‘smooth flow of fund,’ it asserted that implementation of MGNREGS should ‘go according to the laid down norms and guidelines strictly so that the entire state is benefitted without any hurdle.’
On the recent war of words pertaining to the release of MGNREGS funds alleging mismanagement and the counter rebuttals, the association has requested all in concern to refrain from the ‘paper war but find a more suitable way to resolve the problem.’ It felt that the controversy ‘might affect the flow of funds from the centre in which the job card holders could be victimised.’
