Dead labour for flagship scheme, living loot funds

PARSORA (BERASIA, BHOPAL): Dead continue to earn wages for 'ghost' labour in the great loot of funds under the Centre's flagship rural employment scheme, MNREGS, in Madhya Pradesh.
More than 2 years after his death, Bapulal of Hinotiya Jagir village under Parsora panchayat of Bhopal's Berasia tehsil, continued to be on the rolls of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS).Till July this year, he was paid for 'hard labour', according to government records. While funds are being siphoned off in name of the dead, government officials are yet to launch an investigation into who are pocketing the money.
Bapulal's death certificate in possession with TOI shows he died on June 3, 2012, but MNREGS data shows him to be a regular worker. According to records, Bapulal constructed a well of a villager, Mangilal, between July 7 and July 13, 2014.
"I was shocked to know that unemployment allowance and MNREGS funds were being withdrawn in his name," said Meherban Singh, brother of late Bapulal. MNREGS website too shows Bapulal regularly got work under the scheme after 2013 even though he was dead.
MNREGS records show at least four wells were constructed in the village between 2013 and 2014. Villagers lodged a complaint with officials that no new wells dug, but funds were siphoned off by earmarking existing ones.
"I was told by the village secretary to construct a well with my own money and get sanction under MNREGS to refund construction costs," a villager Mehtab Bharti said. "Now, I came to know the well in my house finds mention in MNREGS record. Funds have also been withdrawn on my name, but I was not paid a single penny. I lodged a complaint with officials, but to no avail," he said.
In another case, a villager, Santosh Puri, said, "Only 10-foot-deep hole was dug and it was shown in records as a concrete well. Rs 2.79 lakh was withdrawn without my knowledge. When I came to know about the loot of funds, I lodged a complaint but nothing has come out of it," he said.
TOI visited the site where the well was constructed under MNREGS and found it to be nothing more than a pothole.
"Officials should at least launch an investigation and if anything is found wrong, then appropriate action should be taken," said another villager, Bir Singh.
Speaking to TOI, Berasia janpad panchayat CEO, Bhupesh Gupta, said, "I will get the matter investigated. If anything is found wrong, action would be taken against the guilty".