Panel to focus on scheme quality

The Telegraph, April 12, 2007

OUR CORRESPONDENT
Bhubaneswar, April 11: Sceptical with the success statistics revealed by the officials over the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, chief minister Naveen Panaik today asked the chief secretary to set up a high-level committee to ensure quality control and proper funds utilisation.

Patnaik was today reviewing the progress of the centrally-sponsored programme, presently under implementation in 19 backward districts, when the officials revealed that Rs 706.51 crore of the allotted Rs 888.57 crore during 2006-07 had been spent. The expenditure figure of 80 per cent did not impress Patnaik enough. “Poor performance of the scheme in tribal-dominated districts like Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Boudh and Gajapati might have made the chief minister unhappy. While Kalahandi had spent only 56.05 per cent of total allocated funds by March this year, Boudh and Mayurbhanj spent 62.5 per cent and 66.73 per cent, respectively,” said a source present in the meeting, adding that Patnaik stressed the quality control and regular monitoring of the projects under NREGS.

Panchayati raj minister Raghunath Mohanty, however, was apparently pleased with the performance of his department officials. “Our department managed to provide wage employment to 13.40 lakh labourers out of 13.53 lakh job seekers during 2006-07 under NREGS,” he said, adding job cards had been issued to 25.63 lakh worker families out of 28.76 lakh registered households in 19 districts covered under the NREGS.

The scheme would be implemented in five more districts of Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Bhadrak and Jajpur in 2007-08.

The meeting decided that gram rozgar sevaks would be appointed against a consolidated pay of Rs 2,000 per month in 4,891 gram panchayats under 254 blocks in 24 districts.