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With
the objective of conducting public hearing to bring about
 the
transparency in implementation of Government scheme of NREGA and
to arrange employment for rural people to check large scale
migration from the region, a social audit was conducted at Patgarh
village in Garbandh Panchayat of Nagar Untari Block in Garhwa
District on 15th April 2007.
The health activists and the members of the Migration Forum-
Prabhawati Mahila Sangh were present on this occasion. The other
invitees like the Gram Sevak and Block Program Officer were
conspicuous by their absence.
The speakers sensitized people on the followings issues:
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The right and
entitlement under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
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The duty of Gram
Sevak, Block Program Officer and other Government officials.
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The right and duty
of Gram Sabha.
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The objective of
Social Audit.
Findings under
social audit
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The total
population of the village Patgarh of Garbandh panchayat was
approx. 1600.
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During the
social audit process it was found that 127 labors although
registered and received job cards but laborers received neither
any work nor the work allowance from the local administration.
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It was found that 212 entitled people in the village were still
without the job cards and it was also noticed that the job cards
provided in the village from the concerned govt. officials were
mostly belonged to upper class people and well off families.
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As per the norms of NREGA scheme, local administration had to
conduct a gram sabha meeting (Gram panchayat meeting) in all the
villages and to consist a vigilance committee in the village to
monitor the all NREGA related activities but the fact was
something very different as, without conducting the gram sabha
meeting concerned authorities allocated the NAREGA schemes to
local contractors, with the false names of the vigilance
committee members on paper, due to rampage corruption in the
department.
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The muster rolls have not updated, and the job cards of laborers
who worked had no entry.
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None of the government officials visited the panchayats/villages
to monitor and review the proper implementation of NREGA schemes.
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In most of
the cases concerned contractors either keeping/kept job cards of
the laborers, those were involved in the work to meet their
personal interest.
Follow up:
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A committee
was formed consisting of Fifteen members of the village to monitor
and review work progress under NREGA. The committee will further
meet on 23rd April, 2007 with concerned Block Program Officer and
obtain work progress and accordingly the committee will share the
work
 progress
& discrepancies in the work under NREGA scheme for follow up and
action.
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Similar
event of social audit took place in Kushdand village of Nagar
Untari block in Garhwa on 16th April 2007 that was attended by the
gram sevak along with villagers and AID activists. During the
social audit, villagers charged that the Government officials
often asked money to issue a job card and that the Gram Sevak had
kept job cards of many people. The Gram Sevak, Mr. Jagdish Ram
accepted that the fact that no initiative from the block office
took place at panchayat level to inform villagers regarding NREGA.
He assured the gathering to look into the matter of job cards and
start the development work after the Gram Sabha meeting.
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