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Social audit uncovers irregularities

Special Correspondent

Implementation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in six districts of Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Activists monitoring the implementation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in six districts of Rajasthan have decided to oppose the Centre's proposed move to notify a uniform wage of Rs. 60 for all States under the scheme and demanded that the task prescribed for labourers to earn the daily wage be reduced. A demand for part-payment of wages in grain under the EGS would also be made before the Centre.

At a social audit of the public works in Girwar panchayat of Sirohi district on Tuesday, activists accompanied by the local villagers uncovered many irregularities in the wage payments, besides other forms of fraud. According to the evidence presented by the villagers, over 6,900 kg of wheat which was rightfully theirs in the form of wages had simply not reached them.

Mass monitoring

The social audit of Rs. 11-lakh worth of works in Girwar panchayat of Abu Road block was taken up under the banner of the Rozgar Evum Suchna ka Adhikar Abhiyan in a series of the mass public monitoring exercises, the first of which was held recently in Dungarpur. It was organised by the Jan Chetana Sansthan in association with the Centre for Equity Studies, Jaipur, with the support of National Institute of Rural Development, Hyderabad.

A decision to launch a series of `cycle yatras' in the districts in Rajasthan, where the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has been enforced, was also taken on the occasion in a bid to institutionalise transparency in the EGS works and spread awareness about the scheme in the years to come. Social audits of the past works in these districts will be held to exemplify the differences between post facto and ongoing public monitoring of employment schemes.

Residents of Girwar village, along with the representatives of non-Government organisations, had applied and obtained the records comprising muster rolls, bills, vouchers and sanctions pertaining to 17 development works under various schemes undertaken in 2004-05 and 2005-06 using the Right to Information Act.

Tuesday's public hearing followed a door-to door verification process during the last few days.

Hundreds of residents of Girwar and as many as 18 neighbouring panchayats, besides many representatives of organisations from the State and outside, attended the social audit.

Labourers testify

The labourers who had worked in the construction of a middle school building in Girwar testified that the entire work had been done through contractors, who had brought labourers from outside the panchayat. Many women affirmed that they were paid only Rs. 40 as daily wage, compared to Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 for men, which was much lower than the minimum wage of Rs. 73.

As against the isolated instances of irregularities found in Dungarpur during a yatra spanning 10 days in April-end, huge irregularities came to light in Girwar in connection with the payments made in the form of wheat and fudging of muster rolls. In works which were given on contract, labourers had not received any wheat at all.

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