Gujarat: Jobs Under MGNREGA Given To School Children, Local Officials Being Probed

Notices have also been issued to Kukarda village sarpanch and village's executive wing head Talati. The GRS has now been dismissed from service.

A boy studying in class 10 and two girl students studying in class 9 were issued job cards. (Representative Image/ Getty)

District administration in Gujarat's Chhotaudepur swung into action after four school-going children were issued job cards, and bank accounts were opened in their names, under the centre-run Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. According to reports, District Development Officer dismissed the Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) and a departmental inquiry was conducted against him. DDO also told news agency IANS that it was GRS Lalji Dungarbhil who had issued four job cards in the names of school children.

The children were identified as a boy studying in class 10 and two girl students studying in class 9 whose bank accounts were opened with Bank of Baroda's Tanakhla village branch. The three students were for around 25 to 26 days job.

Notices have also been issued to Kukarda village sarpanch and village's executive wing head Talati. The GRS has now been dismissed from service.

"Notices were issued to the village Sarpanch and Talati and both asked to give explanation... if they fail to give satisfactory explanation, action will be taken against them," the DDO said.

Reacting to the notice issued against her, the husband of Kukarda village's sarpanch Gaunaben Ambalal Dungarbhil told IANS that his wife is illiterate and so she signed the employment list prepared by GRS Lalji without any cross-checking. 

The husband also said that Lalji did not show the jobs cards with photos though she had so demanded, while signing documents. He claimed that it was not the fault of her wife.

After withdrawing the money, Lalji had even bought school stationery for children from the payment and there is a possibility that children's parents might be involved in it, he alleged.

(With inputs from IANS)