By IANS,
Chandigarh : Punjab has become the only state to set up a grievance redressal mechanism to take up complaints against poverty alleviation programme, by appointing Ombudsmen for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS).
Six Ombudsmen have been appointed for the scheme being implemented in the state for different districts of Punjab.
Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said Sunday that the new initiatives would ensure transparency and accountability and ensure that the MG-NREG Scheme reaches out to the rural poor job card holders across the state.
The minister added that the Ombudsman would be an agency independent of the central or state government under Section 27 of the act.
“He (Ombudsman) can receive complaints from MG-NREGS workers and others on any matter. After consideration of such complaints he would facilitate their disposal in accordance with law at the earliest,” Brahmpura said.
Those appointed Ombudsmen are: Ramesh Kumar for Ludhiana, Sangrur and Barnala districts; Deshbir Sharma for Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Hoshiarpur districts; Jinderpal Singh Cheema for Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Mohali and Ropar districts; Dalbir Singh for Bathinda, Mansa and Faridkot districts; Brij Lal Nagpal for Moga, Ferozepur and Muktsar districts; and Parkash Singh Lamey for Jalandhar, Nawanshahr and Kapurthala districts.
“We have streamlined things to provide every rural household a guarantee of at least 100 days of employment during a financial year by providing unskilled manual work in rural areas,” Brahmpura said.
Incidentally, Punjab, which has an Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance government, had not availed the MG-NREG Scheme properly in the first two years after it came to power in March 2007.
The minister said the Ombudsmen have been appointed for a tenure of two years which can be extended later.
The Ombudsman would report his findings to the chief secretary and the principal secretary for rural development and panchayats for appropriate legal action against erring persons.
On receipt of a complaint, the Ombudsman could issue directions for conducting spot investigation, lodge first information reports (FIRs) against the erring parties, initiate proceedings suo motu and could direct redressal, disciplinary and punitive actions.
“The award passed by the Ombudsman would be a speaking order consisting of direction to the concerned NREGA authority and there would be no appeal against the award, which would be final and binding on the parties,” the minister added.