NSVDBA appeals State Rural Department for more time to implement DBT system
Dimapur, September 14 (MExN): With only 46,894 workers out of 4.25 lakh active job card holders in Nagaland having Aadhaar linked bank account, the NSVDBA today appealed the State Rural Department to take up the matter with the Central Government and sought the “exemption of Nagaland from implementing DBT system till such time all the job card holders are able to get Aadhaar cards and open their respective bank accounts.”
The Nagaland State Village Development Board Association (NSVDBA) was responding to a notification from Secretary, RD & Commissioner MGNREGA which said that along with the rest of the country, Nagaland will start implementing Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under MGNREGA beginning from the current financial year 2017.
Wages of the MGNREGA workers will be directly credited to the individual accounts of Job card holders who have actually done the works on the basis of Rs.177 per day as daily wage through National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS)–Public Financial Management System (PFMS), the department informed in a press release on September 8.
A press note from NSVDBA President Tohoshe Awomi and General Secretary Manthungo Kikon stated that while the association” genuinely appreciate the initiative being undertaken by the RD Department” it was apprehensive about its abrupt implementation at this stage.
“If DBT is implemented in the state all of a sudden, the very purpose of the noble program (MGNREGA) benefitting the rural areas covering all the villages would be badly affected and the schemes objectives defeated,” it said.
The association further noted that Nagaland being a “backward State” with very poor facilities many job card holders has not been able to obtain Aadhaar Cards.
“To add to their misery, those who have received Aadhaar cards also, there are many errors requiring rectification which will take some more time”, it added.
In this regard, the NSVDBA stated that the question of enforcing the implementation of DBT is practically impossible at this juncture.
“80% of the job card holders without bank accounts will be deprived of their employments under MGNREGA if DBT is imposed in the state at this stage,” it said.
The Association also maintained that out of 74 RD Blocks in Nagaland, there are 32 unbanked Blocks and it will take some more time for all the job card holders to open their Bank Accounts by linking their job cards with Aadhaar due to various practical problems.
As we are lacking behind other state, if DBT is enforced in the State in this stage, the Job Card holders will be ultimately victimized, it further stressed.
Don’t interfere in MGNREGA Program, NSVDBA tells NGOs, individuals
The NSVDBA further claimed that present system of implementation of MGNREGA Program by VDBs in Nagaland is better than many other states.
It also improved to a great extend with the RD Department focusing on taking up income generating schemes in the villages besides providing employments to the job card holders, it said.
In this regard, it asserted that MGNREGA is the only program which covers all the villages in the state and provides benefits to the rural poor and the association will not allow “any organization or individuals to interfere in the VDB matters and disturb the fund flow of MGNREGA Program.”
The implementing agencies in the State are under tremendous pressure from various NGOs, Organization and educated individuals living in the town alleging corruption on implementation of MGNREGA Schemes without knowing the ground realities, it said.
“If DBT is forcefully implemented, the entire blame will be upon the authorities concerned and those NGOs, Organization and individuals for the loss which is very imminent if DBT is implemented at this juncture,” it added.
Keeping in mind, the ground realities prevalent at the grass root level, the NSVDBA requested the concerned Department to take up the matter with the Central Government for exemption of Nagaland from implementing DBT system till such time all the job card holders are able to get Aadhaar cards and open their respective bank accounts.
“We request the NGOs, Organization, individuals not to interfere on the matter of VDBs as their interference will cause more harm than doing good to the rural people and allow the VDBs to take care of ourselves for the benefits of the rural people in general,” it added.
The NSVDBA press note was further appended by president of all district units except Dimapur and Kohima and the association’s treasurer.
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