Thursday, April 15, 2010

NREGA: Non existent in Uttar Pradesh



I wrote this in March but didn't have some information then so here is the post preceding this one.


I went to meet the Pradhan of Garhera again today. He told me that the ones with the job cards had left. There was one man there who claimed to have a job card.
Me: So you have a job card?
Him: Yes madam
Me: What work have you got in 2010.
Him:Whatever the Pradhan asks me to do .
Me: I mean to ask what projects under the NREGA scheme meant to improve infrastructure for the village have you worked for?
Him:Made toilets and other projects
Me:what other projects?
Him:Woheee madam
I asked him to show me his job card. He said his house was far away. I said that we had a car and we would take him in our car. Then he said he was working for the Pradhan fixing things in his house.
There is no budget for the NREGA for this village according to the Pradhan.Also, remember no one wants a job card because everyone is high caste. According to this 20 households in Garhara are registered job card holders.In the year 2008-09, the budget allocated was 1,72,000 Rupees out of which 50,000 Rupees is recorded as officially having been spent. 72953 people in the Bulandhahr district are registered under NREGA according to www.nrega.nic.in. In 2008-09 , 5000 Rupees was spent on paying five workers for ten days of work each .
He however showed me one example of a job card in which no entry was made for any work done or money received supposedly because the man who owned the job card did not want to open a bank account.

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