Mangalore, February 19: There were more questions than answers at a meeting to review the progress achieved in the implementation of the Union Government schemes by the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee here on Friday.
Though Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, and Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav expressed concern over poor progress in the implementation of projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the officials failed to come out with clear-cut answers and assurances.
While Mr. Kateel sought to know how the officials would spend more than 85 per cent of the funds sanctioned under the scheme with barely 40 days for the end of the financial year, Mr. Yadav repeatedly pointed out that there was no other scheme that was more important than this in rural areas and its implementation was being watched keenly across the country.
In 11 months, the district spent only about 12 per cent of the funds sanctioned, the Deputy Commissioner said. The meeting was told that only Rs. 33 lakh of the Rs. 3.56 crore sanctioned to Sullia taluk had been spent, followed by Puttur (Rs. 62 lakh of Rs. 4.47 crore), Mangalore (Rs. 80 lakh of Rs. 5.3 crore) Belthangady (Rs. 1.17 crore of Rs. 5.8 crore) and Bantwal (Rs. 1.91 crore of Rs. 5 crore).
Mr. Yadav did not accept the argument that staff shortage had hit the scheme's implementation.
He said officials should not hide behind such excuses and asked them to hold review meetings once in 15 days at the gram panchayat level and strictly monitor the scheme's implementation.
He said issues such as delays in declaring farmers as “small and marginal” which was needed to take up works in their land under the scheme should be sorted out at taluk levels. Chief Executive Officers in taluks could hold meetings with tahsildars and resolve them.
He expressed displeasure that barely a few of the job card holders were seeking jobs under the scheme.
Zilla panchayat Chief Executive Officer P. Shivashankar said that a wage of Rs. 100 a day being given under the scheme was far lower than the wages given elsewhere and some progress had been achieved only after it was increased to Rs. 125 from January.
He admitted that cards had been given to those who did not want jobs in a drive conducted under pressure to register more job seekers.
U.T. Khader, Mangalore MLA, suggested that the officials should talk to beneficiaries to identify the problems and come out with solutions. Mr. Kateel and Mr. Yadav accepted this suggestion and asked officials to do so. They promised to hold another review meeting in a fortnight.
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