From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 14: All women wage earners will be having separate bank accounts to check irregularties and timely payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
A decision to this effect was taken at a joint review meeting held under the chairmanship of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil on the performance of the job scheme in the State on Friday.
The bank accounts were so far being opened in the name of households.
The State Government agreed to the suggestion of the Union Minister to ensure that individual accounts of women would be opened in all districts to ensure timely payment of wages.
Wages in Karnataka are being fixed at Rs 174 per day in 2013-14 under MGNREGA.
Nearly 46 per cent of daily wage earners covered under the scheme in the State were women and hence the decision for opening individual bank accounts in the names of the women wage earners.
The Union minister handed over a sanction letter of Rs 774.5 crore to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, being the first instalment for implementation of the MGNREGA in 2013-14 in the State,
“We are unhappy about manner in which the MGNREGA was implemented during the last 4 to 5 years,” Ramesh said.
He disclosed that ''large scale diversion of funds, irregularities and incomplete works” were part of the scheme in the State
The CAG report, he said, had reported huge irregularities in the execution of the job scheme.
An estimated expenditure under the scheme in 2013-14 was Rs 2133 crore.
Ramesh said the MGNREGA expenditure declined from Rs 1640 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 1440 crore in 2012-13, which was a significant reverse decline.
The State had unspent money of Rs 345 crore, he said pointing out that the previous BJP government was lax in its utilisation
“More than Rs 1100 crore is available with the State for taking up works under the job scheme,” he said pointing out that no more funds would be released till December.
An independent Social Audit Directorate would be set up to audit expenditure incurred by rural local bodies under the scheme.
Under the scheme, small and marginal farmers would be asked to take up more works such as land levelling, irrigation, improving soil and productivity of lands.
Meanwhile, the Centre has decided to depute an official team to Andhra Pradesh for studying the execution of the MGNREGA in the neighbouring State.
Andhra Pradesh ranked first in the utilisation of job scheme funds.
Moreover, Andhra Pradesh had inter-linked the scheme with other rural development schemes.
The team would study a model adopted by neighbouring state in the execution of the scheme so as to follow the same model in other States, Ramesh said.