Nadia district admin to provide 10 lakh person-days to migrant workers, jobless residents

   

    Officials allege of manipulating data to achieve target

Biswabrata Goswami

Statesman News Service

KRISHNAGAR, 11 MAY: With thousands of migrant workers returning to the state amidst the ongoing lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak, the Nadia district administration has taken initiative to generate more than ten lakh person-days for MGNREGS to enable the workers earn wages as well as bring in a long-term plan to provide steady income to the poor households.

In messages, the district magistrate, Vibhu Goel, has instructed all block level administrative officials asking them to formulate their micro plans to achieve the target within this month (May) at any cost.

“Yesterday it was seen that there were 750 shortfalls of labours, it should be zero deficit. Team of defaulting GP, please take up the matter with Pradhan and do achievement before next VC (video conference)”, one of the messages read.

As the entire administrative set-ups are busy in combating the coronavirus outbreak, the targeted person-days in April could not be achieved. Moreover, thousands of residents across the district have lost their jobs due to lockdown and the district administration is witnessing the pressure of sudden influx of migrant labourers from other states.   

Amid massive reverse migration of workers, the Nadia district administration, in a bid to generate more employment for the rural people, has begun the process of permissible works like excavation of new pond, re-excavation or renovation of pond, excavation or re-excavation of big canals, construction or strengthening of flood protection embankment and plantation.

According to officials, the district has about 3.7 lakh jobcard holders and to achieve the targeted person-days, the district administration will have to give jobs to around 50000 workers per day under 100-day jobs. Currently, the administrative officials claimed that they are providing jobs to around 35000 workers per day.

Criticising the effort, a section of officials alleged that the district administration is trying to make up its Labour Budget (LB) shortfalls by putting pressure on the implementing agencies, especially to the engineers (Nirman Sahayak in GP) at any cost.

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“Actually state, district and block administration only want to fulfill a prefixed target, not anything else. Rega in West Bengal is merely a political weapon. During this turmoil situation, many gram panchayats are manipulating data only to show that they have provided jobs to the workers under community schemes”, an official alleged.

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Unable to bear the mounting pressure from state and district administration, the Krishnagar-I block development officer has written a letter (memo no -1500/kgr-I dated 9.05.2020) to the pradhans (Bhandrakhola, Bhimpur, Chakdignagar, Dignagar, Dogachi, Poragacha and Ruipukur) saying, “You know the govt of West Bengal and district authority is pressing hard to give maximum work to the workers having no jobs/ work and demanding work at present during the Covid-19 pandemic situation. This is a matter of great regret that your gram panchayat has not yet started a single community work, where more labour can be engaged maintaining the social distancing protocol and health and hygiene protocol….”

When asked, Vibhu Goel, district magistrate said “We are trying to provide jobs to the workers and jobless residents during this pandemic situation. We have some shortages in generating jobs for workers in April as most officials were busy in combating coronavirus spread. Within this month, we will try to make up the shortfall.”

He also said, “If there is any specific complaint regarding manipulation, I will take necessary steps against the accused”.