DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 4 (MExN): The Nagaland State Village Development Board Association (NSVDBA) today refuted allegations of corruption made against it by the Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland.
A press note from the NSVDBA informed that it held a meeting on September 28 with representatives from all 11 districts of the state and deliberated on the issues regarding the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system which was introduced by the central government.
The NSVDBA said that the ACAUT’s allegations against it are “unfortunate and uncalled for” and pointed out that every bonafide resident of a village is a member of the VDB general body and the VDB Secretary is appointed from amongst the body with the decision of the village council and the VDB general body.
“If there is any corruption charge against the VDB Secretary, the concerned village authority has every authority to take action,” it added. The NSVDBA therefore viewed that terming the VDBs as corrupt “implies that the whole villagers are corrupt, which is not appropriate at all.” It asked the ACAUT to desist from “making such wild allegations which defames the entire rural communities.”
Further, the NSVDBA informed that it has not objected to the state government’s plan to implement DBT under MGNREGA in the state. “However due to practical complexity, it has requested the department to give us some time and not to make compulsory the implementation of DBT until such time when all job card holders are able to open their respective bank accounts because the implementation of DBT at this juncture will have serious impact in the successful implementation of the praogramme,” the association stated.
It meanwhile pointed out that the government had issued a notification for opening bank accounts to be linked to the job cards in 2016 and the RD officials have been sensitizing this aspect for the last one year. However, the NSVDBA said that the state has very few facilities. Out of the 74 RD blocks, only 32 blocks are banked and 42 unbanked. Meanwhile there are 1238 villages with 4.25 lakh MGNREGA job card holders. “In spite of all the efforts only 46,894 job card holders have been able to open their bank accounts duly linked with aadhaar card till date and the remaining 3,78,106 are yet to open their bank account,” the association informed.
It therefore contended that if DBT is implemented at this juncture, only 46,894 job card holders are going to benefit and the rest would be “victimized.” “Who will be held responsible for the 3,78,106 job card holders of our state for their loss?” the NSVDBA questioned.
It asked the state government to give those concerned job card holders time “so that they can enjoy the benefit under MGNREGA.” It also asked NGOs to pressurize the government to open banks in the 42 unbanked RD blocks for better delivery of service.
The NSVDBA pointed out that issues pertaining to banking coverage and the procedures for obtaining aadhaar cards have posed genuine problems, which will affect the implementation of the scheme if DBT is made compulsory at this point of time.
While welcoming constructive suggestions from any quarter, the NSVDBA made it clear that “it will not be discouraged or disheartened to stand for what is right and justifiable.” It reiterated the association’s call for the state government to consider the feasibility aspect of implementation of DBT at this juncture, and to ponder upon its applicability in the context of the prevailing local conditions of the state.
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