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Non-compliance of rural job scheme norms alleged

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Congress party in Rajasthan has alleged non-compliance of norms set by the Centre in implementation of the much- talked about National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by the State Government. Nowhere in the six districts where NREGS is being implemented in Rajasthan were minimum daily wages being paid while payments were also delayed for more than a month, the party said.

The party leaders, who toured Sirohi, one of the districts under the Scheme, during the past one week, said the daily wages ranged from Rs.23 to Rs.45 after calculating it on the basis of work accomplished (on task basis). They also found the worksites without basic amenities such as potable drinking waterand arrangements for the care of children of the working mothers.

"The attitude of the State Government is opposed to the basic sentiments of the National Employment Guarantee Act passed by the UPA Government. The implementation of NREGS by the BJP-led Government in Rajasthan lacks sincerity. It is in contravention of many rules including the Minimum Wages Act," Jai Singh Rathore, PCC general secretary, said.

Mr. Rathore, on the instructions of the party had toured the Reodar, Abu Road, Pindwara, Sirohi and Shivganj tehsils in Sirohi district for eight days to take stock of the implementation of NREGS. At the end of the tour, a meeting of party workers and peoples' representatives was held in Sirohi on May 18 to analyse the findings in the presence of the Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Mukul Vasnik, Rajasthan PCC president B.D.Kalla and local MLA Sanyam Lodha, zila pramukh, pradhans and elected represenatives of the Panchayati Raj bodies. The findings would be placed before party president Sonia Gandhi at a seminar on NREGS in Delhi on May 26.

"Sirohi was a case study. We have reports from the districts of Udaipur, Dungarpur, Banswara, Karauli and Jhalawar, also selected for the Scheme, indicating that norms are flouted with impunity," Mr. Rathore said. The State Government could take recourse in argument that workers were paid on task basis but cannot ignore Rule 6(1) of the Act, which clearly states that "the wage rate specified from time to time under any such notification shall not be at a rate less than 60 rupees per day", he pointed out.

Mr. Rathore alleged anomalies in the issuance of job cards as well. The cards issued without photograph of the holder were leading to misuse and corruption, he charged.

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