Gujarat: Behind bars for murder, man worked in MGNREGA, got paid

Times of India: Ahmedabad: Friday, 04 September 2020.

After dead men and schoolchildren, now a man behind bars for killing a five-year old girl in his neighbourhood has also been found working and getting paid under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Records obtained by TOI suggests that Maheshji Dabhi was arrested for attempting to molest and killing a minor on September 22, 2012. He remained in the Palanpur sub-jail till January 23, 2013.

Ironically, MGNREGA records claim that he worked on a road construction project on different days between October 6 and 27, 2012. While incarcerated in Palanpur, he also earned wages of Rs 3,900.

The case was exposed by villager Pravinji Bhalgama of Salempura in Palanpur through RTI.

Bhalgama says he was prompted to investigate deep into the corruption rot in the MGNREGA works and payments after he found names of his octogenarian father and mother were mentioned in the MGNREGA muster.

Bhalgama has been moving from pillar to post since 2013 to lodge a complaint in the fake job cards scam but Banaskantha district authorities refused to acknowledge his grievance on paper. His dogged pursuance paid off when he finally got the work records through RTI on July 27, 2020.

He was shocked to find that the records mentioned Dab- Punit Kalawadia hi as a labourer at a road construction site while he was actually behind bars. On the same day, Bhalgama filed an application to investigate the issue further in the office of Banaskantha district agriculture officer on July 27. No action has been initiated yet.

Border range IG promises stern action

Activists say the case is a new low indicating the depth of corruption in the scheme which aims to give livelihood to the poor.

“Such blatant corruption adds insult to the injury of the poor as the government is allowing corrupt to pilfer money which should reach the downtrodden. The government cannot protect such corrupt personnel and has to take action,” said Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani who along with his close aide Kiran Parmar busted a fake job card scam a month ago in Banaskantha. Police is yet to take any action in the FIR.

Meanwhile, border range IG JR Mothalia, under whose jurisdiction Banaskantha district falls, said he was unaware of the scam but that he would ensure quick and stern action.