Passbook for NREGS card holders in Orissa

Sambalpur, Jan 30 (UNI) In a bid to curb pilferage of money by the contractors and middlemen in connivance with corrupt officials under various welfare schemes,Orissa government has decided to open 28 lakh pass books in the names of the job card holders in post offices and banks all over the state.

The system of paying cash to the labourers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and other welfare schemes was found defective as beneficiaries have little scope to know against the actual payment, state Panchayat Raj Secretary Gagan Kumar Dhal said.

But the new scheme of issuing pass book would be very helpful for such people as cash or cheques would be deposited against their account in savings Bank passbooks helping them to withdraw the amount as per their need, he added.

Mr Dhal, who visited different rural areas in Sambalpur district, said the new scheme besides preventing the illiterate labourers from the exploitation of the contractors would also acquaint them with banking habit and encourage for savings.

He further said the Banks and post offices in Orissa would get an additional transaction of Rs 900 crore in a year as an exorbitant amount of Rs 1500 crore is expected to come every year to Orissa under NREGS out of which Rs 900 crore would be the labour component.

The Panchayat Raj Secretary said some pilot projects in this connection had proved successful in backward districts of Gajapati, Phulbani and Sundargarh.

He said the Panchayat would be taken as an unit for opening of passbooks adding that henceforth not only NREGS but in all other schemes, the payments to labourers would be made through bank or post office pass books.

UNI