Source: The Sangai Express / S Singlianmang Guite
Lamka, April 05:
For the first time in Churachandpur, the district administration exploited the provisions of 'social audit' today to settle a squabble that surfaces during the course of executing NREGS at Zenhang Lamka.
The typical approach was roped in as a large number of the Job Card holders made it known their annoyance over the handling of NREGS by their village authority.
The card holders were allegedly skeptical of the sluggish approach opted by the village authority as they were awarded a mere 14 days of works even at the end of this fiscal.
However, the 'social audit' today cleared that skepticism as members of the village authority responded to all the queries put forward by the villagers.
During the course of the audit it was established that a mere fourteen days of work has been allotted to the card holders in the first and second phase as against the twenty five days approved by the district administration.
With the entire amount allotted to Zenhang Lamka now revealed to the mass during the audit, the Village Authority has vowed to dessiminate the remaining works to the people beginning Monday.
The district administration has also warned the VA of severe consequences including filing of a criminal case and blacklisting the village.
Despite the competence and effectiveness of the district administration in implementing the centrally sponsored scheme, failure on the part of the village chief and VAs has been impairing the scheme and impeding its implementation.
In a bid to avoid any further recurrence of the impasse such as that happened in Zenhang Lamka, and unwilling to take any chances further, Deputy Commissioner Sumant Singh has immediately lined-up various initiatives to sensitize the general public.
An aggressive awareness campaign through the media and village level public meetings, establishment of a fast track grievance redressing cell, introduction of complaint box and shelving of additional allotment for 'black sheep' were some of the steps the DC mooted.
Churachandpur being one of the badly affected district by Mautaam famine, and acknowledging its effectiveness in implementing the NREGS, a massive Rs 34 crore of NREGS fund was awarded to the district during the last fiscal.
Of the ten TD blocks in the district, full 100 days of job, has been allotted to three blocks severely affected by Mautaam while 65 days and 50 days of job have been awarded in two partially affected blocks and the remaining fiver other blocks respectively during the same period.