The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has once again come into focus amid political and administrative debates. The Central Government has recently renamed the scheme as “Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural)”, a move that has triggered sharp reactions from both the BJP and the Congress, each accusing the other of politicising a flagship rural welfare programme.
Amid this debate, questions are being raised about the ground-level implementation of MGNREGA after a case of financial irregularities surfaced in Kabirdham (Kawardha) district, exposing alleged corruption worth nearly ₹25 lakh.
How the Irregularities Came to Light
The issue came to the fore after the Central Government conducted surprise inspections in 55 districts across 25 states during the current financial year to assess the actual status of MGNREGA works. Kabirdham was the only district from the state selected for this inspection.
According to officials, three cases linked to the Water Resources Department revealed financial irregularities amounting to ₹19.34 lakh. Of this, ₹9.52 lakh has already been recovered, while steps are underway to recover the remaining amount.
In addition, works carried out at the panchayat level showed irregularities worth ₹3.92 lakh, the full amount of which has reportedly been recovered.
Experts believe that if a detailed audit is conducted across all districts in the state, the scale of irregularities could be far greater than what has been detected so far.
Clean Chit for Rajnandgaon and Surguja
Officials have stated that audits were conducted in Rajnandgaon and Surguja districts between six and eight months ago. No financial irregularities were found in either district. The audit reports have been submitted to the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj, which has reportedly appreciated the implementation of MGNREGA works in both districts.
No Clear Human Resource Policy for MGNREGA Staff
Another major concern highlighted is the absence of a clear human resource policy for MGNREGA employees in the state. This has led to growing dissatisfaction among staff who play a key role in implementing the scheme.
On the instructions of Panchayat Minister Vijay Sharma, a committee was formed on 29 August 2024 to draft a human resource policy, with a deadline of 15 days to submit its report. However, several months later, the committee has yet to present its recommendations.
The committee is headed by Rajesh Singh Rana, Secretary of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department, with Santosh Singh Thakur, Joint Commissioner of MGNREGA, as Member Secretary. Other members include senior finance, MIS, programme and accounts officials.
MGNREGA employees say that despite contributing to the scheme’s success for nearly 20 years, they continue to work without permanent service conditions or social security benefits. The lack of a formal policy has left them feeling insecure and uncertain about their future.
As a result, MGNREGA staff are now preparing to step up their protest strategy, adding another layer of pressure on the government amid an already heated political and administrative environment.
