Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Despite a significant drop in the number of works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), expenditure on both wages and materials has sharply increased — throwing the financial balance of the scheme into question and raising suspicions of irregularities.
Uncontrolled approvals, disrupted ratios
In the last two years, 54,339 works were carried out in the district under MGNREGA, costing a total of Rs 882.87 crore. However, indiscriminate approvals of works led to the collapse of the mandated 60:40 ratio between wages and material costs. This prompted the Central Government to question the state, initiating inquiries into several projects. Two of those were probed in detail and were found to have irregularities, according to the inquiry committee.
During the tenure of the then MGNREGA minister, several rule changes were introduced, leading to a surge in approvals for works such as irrigation wells, Matoshree approach roads, cement roads, and paver block roads. It is being said that instead of being approved at the local level, as per usual protocol, these projects were sanctioned directly by the ministry, bypassing ground-level administrative processes.
Rising Costs, Fewer Works
In 2023-24, the number of works was 34,290 (4x increase from the previous year). A sum of Rs 306.44 crore was spent as wage expenditure, while the material expenditure was Rs 66.69 lakh. Hence, the total expenditure was Rs 373.14 crore.
In 2024-25, the number of works was 20,109 (down by 10,000). The wage expenditure was Rs 396.81 crore, and the material expenditure was Rs 112.82 crore. Hence, the total expenditure was Rs 509.64 crore.
Even though the number of projects dropped by almost 30%, overall spending increased by Rs 136 crore. Wages alone rose by Rs 90 crore, and material costs by Rs 46.13 crore, raising serious questions about financial management.
No. of grampanchayats in District: 873
Registered Workers:
Women: 6.48 lakh
Men: 8.24 lakh
Total: 14.72 lakh
Job Cards Issued: 6.92 lakh (covering 14.72 lakh individuals)
Active Job Cards: 2.51 lakh (covering 4.68 lakh individuals)