Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’rble Chief Minister,
Secretariat, Bhubaneswar – 751001, Orissa.

Sub:        Improvement of the OREGS for the benefit of the rural and tribal people of the state – II

Respected Sir,

 This is my second letter to you about improving the ground situation concerning NREGA implementation. It is a long letter, and I entreat you to take the time to read it with due attention, as the travails of the poor in your state are much longer and harder.

 This letter is prompted by the reports published yesterday regarding Orissa’s utilisation of Rs.733crores and becoming the first state in the utilisation of funds under NREGA. Being a witness to the situation on the ground, for me, this report only underlines the misappropriation and the callousness of your government towards its poorer communities. I sincerely hope this impression will be dispelled in due course of time.

 The problems encountered are not just in one district. They have been found in different districts of undivided Koraput, as also in Gajapati, where other groups have taken up the issues. The point is that all feedback about the NREGA are negative, with several eligible, and specially vulnerable families not getting cards, and payments not being made, works being left incomplete, and misreporting of payments in muster roles, and job cards.

 Given below are reports of some of the villages which have come to my notice. The rampant and wilful mismanagement is clear from these reports. These reports reveal only the tip of the ice-berg of the irregularities. I request that in addition to giving specific attention to these villages, you will also look into the systemic problems that affect the implementation of the NREGA and take urgent steps to bring your administration and officers to line, so that the poor people of your state, who are willing to do the most menial of jobs at the least of wages and to earn an honest living may benefit from this Act:

 Podbandh village, Maikanch Gram Panchayat, Rayagada district.

Households: 40

Job Cards: Registeration: 40 households;

Households who have not yet received Job Cards: 8 households including Tankadhar Jhodia, Rama Ch. Jhodia, Saba Jhodia, Nilamani Jhodia, Makar Jhodia, Beena Jhodia, Sambaru Jhodia, and Niladhar Nayak. Reason given by VLW for non receipt of job cards: Computer problem.

The NREGA Work:

The road cutting near Teninala Jhola was started under OREGS in the month of December. The villagers were told to start the work by the former Sarpanch, and the VLW. Dhadia Jhodia of Podabandh was given blank muster roll sheets, and asked to fill up attendance, and get signatures.

 They started work on 15^th December, 2006. 30 workers joined to the work. Among them four households did not have job card. After one day of work, the VLW informed that the site identification was wrong, and they shifted to another spot. They worked for 16 days, excluding the first day of work.

Then under instructions, they signed the blank muster role, only putting their names and Jobcard numbers, and their signatures on it, and handed it to the former Sarpanch.

People were informed that they would get payment only after Panchayat elections.
The villagers verbally asked the VLW about the payment, and he dilly dallied for a month. The villagers took an application to the BDO about the non-payment, and were stopped at the entrance to the office by the VLW.

The VLW demanded to know who wrote out their applications, and discouraged them from submitting it, and gave them another copy of blank muster role sheets, and asked them to sign it and bring it back to him.

They filled up the muster rolls from 14/12/06 to 29/12/06 for 16 days and 30 application forms for job and returned to the VLW on 30/03/07.

They were shouted at for not putting their signatures. When they pointed out that they did not get the payment they should get, they were informed that the JE would visit in a few days time, and make the measurements.

 The JE did not go, however, when they met him somedays later in the Block, he informed that the work had been estimated at Rs.25000/- Two days later, the VLW told the people that their payment would take time, as the Sarpanch had changed, etc. and explained that they would get Rs.22000/- as Rs.3000/- would be deducted for PC and royalty.

He offered those people who had come to meet him Rs.60per day. They refused the amount, insisting that they would take payment on par with the rest of the people who had worked with them.

On 3^rd April, all the villagers of Podabandh went to the BDO’s office with an application for payment. The BDO was absent, and the VLW told them that their money had been withdrawn, and he gave them an option of getting Rs.55/- per day for 12 days, or Rs.47/- per day for 16 days! The villagers accepted the latter choice, and signed for their money, and returned.

The muster roles they signed were blank, apart from their names, and registration numbers. They had insisted on the amount being written down, but were rudely snubbed by the VLW.

This situation of NREGA implementation is not unique. There are several instance, where cards have not been received. These people have registered for job cards, a second and third time, but they have not been provided with job cards.

Village: Pudugusil, Gram Panchayat, District: Rayagada

In Pudugusil, people worked for 15 days, on for Ghat Cutting from the 6^th to the 20^th of March. They are yet to receive payment. The workorder has been issued in the name of Tuna Nayak, who has made several trips to the Block. According to him, the Panchayat Secreatary took Rs.500/-, the Clerk took Rs.1500/-, and the JE took Rs.5000/- for the sanction of the work. Work measurement was done on the 20^th of April. However, the present JE, the previous JE has been transferred says he can only pay them for 6 days.

Though Tuna has gone several times to the Block, he is not able to release the money for the work, and no more work has been given to the village. There is no mention of the work in the website.

 I have been specifically asked to report this by the women of Pudugusil as they are in really critical conditions this year. The excess rains of last year devastated their crops, and they have next to nothing to eat. 

Tikrapada Village, Girliguma Gram Panchayat, Koraput District.

Households: 66. All tribal.
In Tikrapada village, work order for laying a road was given to Nabeena Disari for a work estimated at Rs.288000.00 Though Nabeena Disari was the Village Committee leader, a contractor from the neighbouring village of Jamur forcibly took the work from him. He maintained the muster role, and made the cash payments. People worked for five days. Then, they were asked to discontinue. They received due payment, but found that in the muster role, the number of days of payment was recorded as 12 days. The people raised the issue with the VLW. They were then given payment for 12 days, which made them quite happy, as they had worked only for five days.

However, they were made to sign on blank muster roles. Then, when they checked their job cards, they found that the number of days recorded were 28 days. The muster role in the NREGA website also records 28days of work!

I am giving just a sampling of the reports from the field. As you can see, the reports are from different districts of undivided Koraput. Wherever we go, we have received such negative feed back on the NREGA, which makes things very difficult.

 There are several other problems regarding NREGA, which I had mentioned in my earlier letter, and which still continue. I do not expect that they will just disappear. But, little effort seems to have been made to even address them. In my last discussion with the District Collector, Koraput, she assured that all applicants will be provided with job cards by the 31^st March. 30^th April has passed, and yet, we do not find that things have changed in the field.

 The other major problem is that despite one year and three months of the passing of the NREGA, no village reports employment of more than 21 days. In fact, this number is on the higher side. Majority of the reports indicat but 15 days of employment, or no employment at all.

I write in the interests of the poor tribal people, and request you to earnestly look into the matter and take urgent steps to improve the ground situation. There are several measures that can be taken to improve things, and I have already suggested these in my last letter. But, these will have little impact without genuine political will for the wellbeing of the poorest of the poor. If this will is there, then even the worst of systems can work excellently.

Yours sincerely

 (Vidhya Das)

Advisor, Supreme Court Commission on Right to Food.

Agragamee, Kashipur – 765015, Dist. Rayagada, Orissa.

e-mail: Agragamee@Satyam.net.in