Women's army fights graft

Jamshedpur, Feb. 4: A five-day training session on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has led to the formation of a 60-member squad of vigilante women who have already managed to blow the lid off several irregularities in the implementation of Centre's flagship job scheme in remote corners of East Singhbhum.
The irregularities, detected between January 12 and January 17 at Mahulia panchayat of Galudih block in Ghatshila sub-division, Dhirol panchayat of Potka block and Kumir panchayat of Patamda block, pertained to fake job cards and doctored muster rolls.
In some cases, the women whistleblowers were harassed and even intimidated, but they stuck to their guns and ensured corrective measures were initiated.
The idea came from the women, all members of the Jharkhand Mahila Samakhya Society (JMSS) that functions under the state human resources development department. They involved East Singhbhum Lok Pal (NREGA) Haldar Mahto who took it forward.
"It is well known that even administrative officials at the block level and rozgar sevaks aren't aware of all the provisions of the MGNREGA. So, when the women's outfit, with members in almost all panchayats of the district, approached me for an awareness session, I decided to go ahead," said Mahto.
The district Lok Pal conducted the MGNREGS awareness session over five days for 60 women from villages in two batches at the Golmuri city office of JMSS in December last year.
The results have been encouraging, though findings of wrongdoing still need to be followed up by the district administration and, if necessary, police.
From January this year, all those who attended the session went back to their villages and began making enquiries, at first discreetly, about the status of various MGNREGS projects.
Soon, they were airing their findings at public hearings conducted by the Lok Pal.
The first case of irregularity was detected at Kumir panchayat in Potka on January 12. Pushpa Mahto (32), a resident of Tatragoda village and among those who attended the Golmuri session, unearthed the use of fake job cards.
"The police have not taken any action to arrest the culprits and instead tried to convince us not to carry out such campaigns. We will take up the matter with state women's commission," said JMSS district coordinator Gloria Purty.
She revealed that on the day Pushpa voiced her protest, she was later roughed up by a group of unidentified people. An FIR was lodged on the insistence of the JMSS at Patamda police station.
At Mahulia panchayat in Ghatshila, 35km from Jamshedpur, Gulapi Mahto (30) pointed to irregularities in muster rolls, or a list of bonafide labourers from the village enrolled for a particular project, on January 16.
She detected anomalies in names and signatures ' names bore signatures in one list, whereas another list of same names had thumb impressions.
The third case was unearthed at Dhirol panchayat of Potka during a public hearing on January 17 when Gurubari Tuddu (32) objected to the manner in which job cards were being issued to a favoured few.
Mahto agreed that a beginning had been made in East Singhbhum, but the complaints given by the women needed to be followed up in right earnest.
"I have asked them to carry on the good work… they should continue to complain about irregularities in MGNREGS in every panchayat of the district. I plan to hold another training session soon," Mahto added and signed off by saying that East Singhbhum could soon emerge as a role model for proper implementation of the job scheme.

The above is from The Telegraph

The spark which Anna started will soon be a raging fire.