Karnataka - Raichur   

Ombudsman proposed to review job scheme in all districts

PROGRESSIVE:Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar addressing a

Raichur: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar has said that there was a proposal before the Government to appoint an Ombudsman in each district to review the progress of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGREGS) and take action in eliminating irregularities, if any, in its implementation.

Addressing presspersons here on Friday, he said that the MGREGS was an excellent scheme which provides assured employment to the poor and the agricultural labourers.

The effective implementation of the scheme would also enable the gram panchayats to improve upon the available resources in rural areas. In addition, it helps avoid the migration of unemployed rural mass to the cities in search of employment. The Minister said that the Union Government had set a target for the State to spend about Rs. 3,000 crore during 2010-11 while implementing the MGREGS. It had sanctioned Rs. 2,800 crore for the State during 2009-10 to implement the scheme.

Of this amount, the State had utilised about Rs. 2,330 crore and it is expected to spend another Rs. 170 crore by the end of March.

However, his department had received complaints of irregularities and misuse of funds by many gram panchayats while implementing the MGREGS.

The department had registered about 140 criminal cases and initiated action against all those concerned while suspending about 90 officials from service.

There was a need to maintain transparency and to take action to avoid irregularities and misuse of funds to reach the benefits of the scheme to the needy, he said.

Mr. Shettar said that the proposal to appoint an Ombudsman in each district would help avoid all possible irregularities while maintaining transparency in the implementation of the scheme.

The process of appointing Ombudsman, which was under the Government's consideration, would be completed in the next two months.

It was hoped that such an action would help review the implementation of the scheme as and when required and also check irregularities.

The Ombudsman will have powers to handle all sorts of complaints and take action for the effective implementation of the scheme, Mr.Shettar said.

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