Maharashtra said it

To plug the holes in EGS in future, the immediate goal is to ensure that the probe into the Rs 9.1 crore Solapur fraud is pursued sincerely to its logical end. Precious time has already been lost. Even though he may have finally relented, Deshmukh8217;s action of stopping the public reading of muster rolls 8212; that8217;s exactly what Solapur Collector Manisha Varma did to unearth the fraud 8212; and yet ask for a probe, has done irreparable damage.

As a result, not only has he strengthened the hands of the fraud8217;s perpetrators, he has also rewarded the collector for doing her job with a resounding slap on the face. Now, the agriculture department 8212; forgery cases have been registered against five small-timers, all of whom are on the run 8212; which seems to be a crucial link in the chain fraud, is rejoicing and trying its best to browbeat the collector by inciting villagers against her and painting her as the real villain who went ahead and spoiled the party for all. Though initial estimates peg the Solapur racket at Rs 9.1 crore, it is clear the economics of the malfeasance runs into several crores. Varma suspected foul play in June. The labour attendance had crossed one lakh and the number of ongoing EGS projects was far higher than the approvals she had given. Later, when her staff visited several villages and read out muster rolls, they discovered names of non-existent, even dead, people who had received EGS payment.

Varma stumbled upon a complete systemic failure. In Solapur, her signatures were forged to get administrative approvals and, what8217;s worse, many bore dates prior to the dates of technical sanction. Having thus opened a can of worms, Varma decided to press on. She decided to verify each and every EGS payment and the only way to do so was to hold a public reading of the muster rolls. That8217;s when the stalling machinery of the Great Indian Democracy started working overtime. The entire agriculture department threatened to quit en-masse, Varma was almost transferred out. Suddenly, she was alone.

Instead of being congratulated and supported, she is now being asked to visit Mantralay every other day to face an inquisition from hostile babus. In the 8217;80s, another firebrand bureaucrat, Arun Bhatia, was similarly hounded for unearthing an EGS fraud in Dhule. Almost 25 years later, it8217;s a sad reflection on successive governments that Varma should face a similar plight.

There8217;s still time for the state to initiate correctives. For the moment, the EGS secretary in charge of the probe must work in tandem with the collector. In deference to the Maharashtra Right to Information Act 8212; the Central law comes into effect from October 12 8212; if reading of muster rolls is to begin, it8217;s imperative that all departments in the EGS chain are instructed to cooperate. For, no amount of stalling by the Deshmukh government can now stop the truth from coming out. Already, troops of reporters and RTI activists have fanned out into neighbouring Satara, conducting their own 8220;jan sunwais8221;, identifying villagers who have been similarly duped.

It is important for the mother whose dead son8217;s name figures in the Solapur list of EGS beneficiaries to get justice and so the ongoing probe must ensure the guilty are nailed, howsoever high they may be in the chain of command. At the same time, it is equally important for the EGS to work. Whether we deploy, as Dr Bimal Jalan says, a 8220;barefoot minister8221;, or opt for a thorough revamp of the system of checks and balances, the ultimate aim is to incorporate the lessons learnt in the Rural Employment Act.

As the oldest and largest public works programme in the developing world, the EGS is on show for the world to see. It8217;s up to Dr Manmohan Singh and his government to see that its noble objectives aren8217;t reduced to naught because of operational lacunae. The keys to a solution lie in making the scheme more participatory. This means the local administration must engage with the populace and ensure 100 per cent participation of the village in deciding the nature of EGS work to be done. And then instill mechanisms for periodic reviews. It8217;s perhaps also time to rethink the kind of jobs EGS should provide. By definition, it has all along been unskilled labour. May be we should move on from building bunds and nullahs, many of which seem to exist only on paper anyway. Why not look at rural housing as a more durable asset? And most importantly, who should ultimately take ownership of the durable asset thus created?

The State Assembly is to discuss a 2003 review committee report 8212; the latest in the long line of such committees/commissions the scheme has been subjected to 8212; that aims to expand the EGS8217;s scope. It talks of building irrigation infrastructure, catchment area development, promotion of fruit orchards and even fixing urban roads. That could well be the beginning, but the need of the hour is to sort out the nitty gritty of EGS. If Sonia Gandhi wants to keep her word, that8217;s where her government must look.