97% of funds for Border roads unused

Despite China Fears,Border Work Minimal: CAG


Building roads along the China border have been a stated priority of the UPA government in view of the communist neighbour rapidly developing world class roads and airports on its side of the McMahon line. Such has been the security concern that supplementary grants were sanctioned for additional expenditure in the border areas.Shockingly, to 97% of regular funds remained unspent between 2006 and 2009,and were returned by the home ministry departments at the end of the financial year.

The Comptroller and Auditor Generals review of grants to the home ministry for infrastructure development along the China border reveals that large provisions persistently remained unused during the period 2006-09 and were surrendered,defeating the purpose for which the budget provisions were passed by Parliament.

While lack of environmental clearances for border projects has often been touted as the reason why border roads have not been built in recent years,the report doesnt mention this at all.It,instead,blamed administrative failure in allocating works,non-demarcation of border areas and local protests for the delay.

The CAG report,submitted in Parliament on Friday,says the unspent amount on capital expenditure that includes development of infrastructure along the border and other security-related spending was as high as 58% in 2008-09 while allocation for this purpose had been hiked from Rs 2,000 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 5,300 crore in 2008-09.

In one case,the cabinet committee on security sat on an intelligence project due to which the Rs 2,400-crore plan could not be executed.

The unused money returned by the home ministry was Rs 1,900 crore.

On the China front,the home ministry failed to execute road projects resulting in non-expenditure of 91% of the allocated funds in 2006-07 and 97% each in 2007-08 and 2008-09,according to the CAG report.

There was inaction on the coastal front too.This only improved after 26/11.

On the security projects along Bangladesh border,Rs 46 crore was unutilized as hi-tech surveillance equipment was not procured.

Non-finalization of proposals for flood lighting and fencing work along the Pak border resulted in unspent funds of Rs 25 crore.

97% बोर्डर भंडार का इस्तमाल नहीं हुआ!

चीन ने बोर्डर के अपने क्षेत्रों में विश्व स्थारिया रास्ते बना लिए हैं और इसको देखते सर्कार ने भी निर्णय लिया था के हम भी अच्छे रास्ते बनायेंगे। पर पढ़िए के क्या हुआ (या नहीं हुआ!)

• २००६-२००९ तक औसतन ९७% पूँजी का उपयोग नहीं हुआ, और वापस चला गया।
• एक केस में तो कैबिनेट एक इन्तेल्लिगेंस प्रोजेक्ट पर बैठ गयी जो २४०० करोड़ का प्लान था। कुछ नहीं हुआ।
• तटीय इलाकों में भी कहानी ऐसी ही थी। सुधराव २६/११ के बाद आया।
• बंगलादेश बोर्डर पर ४६ करोड़ का हाई टेक प्रोजेक्ट नहीं हो सका। पूँजी इस्तमाल नहीं हुई.
• पाकिस्तान सीमा पर फ्लड लाइट लगाने के लिए २५ करोड़ दिए गए थे। उनका भी इस्तमाल नहीं हुआ।
  

Study finds massive corruption in govt's flagship NREGA

A government-sponsored study on the NREGA has found large-scale corruption and irregularities in the implementation of the programme in several states with authorities in some areas misappropriating' central funds and threatening workers to keep their mouth shut.

"There was great fraud in the making (of job) cards, muster rolls were not maintained properly and work was not provided to job seekers sometimes," a team of researchers from the V V Giri National Labour Institute noted in their draft report, asking the government to take preventive measures.

The study has found that in many cases, workers performed one day's job but their attendance was put for 33 days. The workers got money for one day while wages for 32 days were "misappropriated by the people associated with the functioning of NREGS".

"In fact, the workers were threatened to keep their mouths shut. One of them mentioned that the NREGS had proved to be a boon for the panchayat functionaries," they said in the report.

They collected secondary material and also elicited information from different stakeholders like the 'gram pradhan' and beneficiary workers, besides interviewing implementing agencies and personnel. The study team found that in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Bihar, the job cards were not in the possession of workers but with the sarpanch and other panchayat functionaries, while in many cases job cards were found to be fudged with fake entries.


The report also noted 'interpersonal conflicts' among project officers, block development officers and the sarpanch, saying this has affected the performance and efficiency of the project officers.
"In some places, the sarpanch were using their political clouts to trouble the POs. In some cases, the block development officers were sore about snatching away of their signatory authority on NREGS cheques," it noted.

The report suggested the monitoring of workers and daily task measurements by 'technical specialists'.

"There should be a monitoring committee consisting of some members of the civil society, along with the panchayat functionaries and beneficiary workers," it said.

नरेगा में बहुत

भ्रष्टाचार

- सरकारी अभ्यास ने बताया

• कुछ इलाकों में अधिकरिओने केंद्रीय कोष को ऐंठ लिया था।
• कर्मचारियों को अपना मुह बंध रखने को धमकाया गया था।
• जॉब कार्ड और म्स्टर रोल ठीक से नहीं बनाये गए थे.
• कई बार, एक दिन का काम करने पर ३३ दिनों के पैसे मिले थे।
• पंचायत के लोगों के लिए नरेगा एक वरदान या लोटरी बनी है।
• ब्लाक देवेलोप्मेंट ऑफिसर और सरपंच में संघर्ष के कारन प्रोग्राम को नुक्सान हुआ।
• जॉब कार्ड कर्मियों के पास नहीं पर सरपंचों के पास रखा जाता है।