Cong ka haath kiske saath?

But Congress-ruled states or which were ruled by the party till recently, delayed the formulation of these rules (Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab); stalled constitution or functioning of SEGCs (Haryana, Uttarakhand); as well as failed to appoint SREGCs in time (Arunachal, Andhra, Himachal).

While the SEGCs in Punjab and Arunachal did not even monitor the implementation of the scheme, nor its redressal mechanism, Andhra, Assam, Himachal, Haryana, J-K, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Uttarakhand failed to set up technical resource support groups comprising engineers and other experts at the district and state levels.

In Arunachal, Himachal, J-K and Punjab, revolving funds were not made available at the district, block and gram panchayat levels, “adversely affecting” the implementation of the scheme. Himachal, Arunachal and Punjab even failed to release their financial contribution on time.

Notwithstanding the mechanism for transparency and accountability in-built into the programme, the CAG field audit found that state-level inspection was either “not conducted” or “not recorded” in Arunachal, Assam, Himachal, J-K, Maharashtra, Manipur and Uttarakhand, despite a provision for mandatory physical inspection of 2 per cent of the projects. In Punjab, the District Planning Committee did not even review the social audit mechanism.

The findings:

Assam

• No formal allotment of works, these were allocated verbally

• Duplicacy of workers, resulting in overpayment

Jammu & Kashmir

• Schemes worth crores executed without approval

• Wages to the tune of Rs 5 lakh remain unpaid

• Delay in release of funds, or money released without utilisation certificates and spent for purchase of furniture etc

Manipur

• Workers underpaid to the tune of Rs 46.89 lakh

• Works costing over Rs 8 crore remain incomplete

•Over Rs 2.5 crore wasted due to inflated estimates

Andhra Pradesh

• No compensation paid to 2,05,911 beneficiaries, despite delayed payments

• Muster rolls tampered with, using whitener, and overwriting

Assam

• No proper data maintained for verification of demand and provision of employment

Haryana

• Overpayment and double payment in muster rolls

•Rs 8.50 lakh diverted to other schemes

• Arrears of Rs 17.49 lakh due to non-payment of revised minimum wage rates

• One pond became almost a swimming pool, with only 20 per cent of the funds spent to pay wages

•In Mohindergarh, Rs 13.12 lakh paid to tractor and cart owners for carrying out earth works. Material purchased merely to show utilisation of funds

• Proper purchase procedures not followed

Himachal Pradesh

• Delay in wage payment ranged from 17 to 283 days

• Defective muster rolls, with wages paid for 31 days in November in some cases

• NREGS-earmarked funds spent on salaries and to pay contingency advance to the ministerial staff of District Rural Development Agency, Chamba

Maharashtra

• Average wages ranged from Rs 8 to Rs 187

Uttarakhand

• Unemployment allowance not paid, proper records not maintained

• In one gram panchayat, an expenditure of Rs 15,220 was reported even without start of actual work

Arunachal Pradesh

• Rs 33.47 lakh paid to non-eligible households

Tomorrow: Non-Congress-ruled states, and recommendations