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The Dakshina Kannada district has made a ‘significant record’ by implementing works worth nearly Rs 8 crore in just 11 days, under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Even in 2009, the district had implemented works worth Rs 12 crore in just one month, which was later termed as a ‘bogus progress.’ 

 
According to the official website, as on April 2, works worth Rs 1,821.05 lakh have been implemented in Dakshina Kannada district during financial year 2010-11. However, on March 21, works worth only Rs 1,036.86 lakh was implemented in the district. On March 29, works worth Rs 1,348.45 lakh have been implemented while on April 1, works worth Rs 1,788.20388 lakh has been implemented. Interestingly, on March 1, works worth Rs 634.23 lakh was implemented in the district.  According to sources, “normally gram panchayats have shown Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh improvement in implementing works.
However, here about Rs Rs 784.19193 lakh worth works have been completed in just 11 days, which is highly impossible.”

According to the website, in Bantwal taluk, works worth Rs 583.92 lakh has been implemented during the period. Belthangady taluk has implemented works worth Rs 480.30 lakh. Mangalore taluk has implemented works worth Rs 357.06 lakh. Works worth Rs 252.44 lakh has been implemented in Puttur taluk while Sullia taluk has registered implementation of works worth Rs 141.72 lakh.

Sources said though Bantwal taluk tops the district in the implementation of MGNREGS, its administrative expenditure is only Rs 19.78 lakh. “However, the administrative expenses of Belthangady taluk is Rs 79.70 lakh which is really startling.”

The performance of few gram panchayats too raises eyebrows. According to the website, Amaramudnoor Gram Panchayat in Sullia taluk has implemented works worth Rs 35.7211 lakh. Naravi GP has utilised Rs 75.11 lakh under MGNREGS while Neriya GP has implemented works worth Rs 40.80 lakh. In Bantwal taluk, Kedila Gram Panchayat has shown works worth Rs 32.10 lakh and Kolnadu Gram Panchayat has implemented works worth Rs 56.71 lakh. In Mangalore taluk, works worth Rs 60.43 lakh has been implemented in Neermarga Gram Panchayat limits.

Job cards

The job cards have been issued to 90,263 unemployed persons in the district till April 2. Of which, employment have been provided to 25,357 persons.  In Puttur taluk, 81 families have completed 100 days work, 373 families have completed 100 days work in Puttur, 182 families in Belthangady, 372 families in Mangalore and 31 families in Sullia taluk. A total of 16,600 works are under progress in Dakshina Kannada district.

When Deccan Herald contacted Zilla Panchayat CEO P Shivashankar, he said: “I also have doubts over the progress made in the district under MGNREGS. We will go for 100 per cent verification of the March expenditure report. What has appeared in the website may be a provisional figures. We will come to know the final figures only after the verification. Moreover, I have issued a circular to all the Gram Panchayats not to make the payment for those works which have been undertaken after March 28,” he said.

“We had similar progress in the month of March last year. The trend has been continued even this year,” the CEO said.