The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (COMSO), has submitted a five-page missive to the West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner to call for an investigation into alleged large-scale embezzlement of public funds under the MGNREGA scheme in certain villages.
Specifically, the organisation urged the DC to look into the way the scheme is being implemented in Demdema block, including “all non-tribal Village Employment Councils (VECs), particularly in Muslim-dominated villages”.
COMSO claimed that an “alarming and unprecedented” number of job cards issued between 2020 and 2025 in Demdema block are illegal, with many of the individuals under whose name the job cards have been issued ineligible for the scheme or even non-existent altogether.
The DC was told that instead of one job card issued to one member of each eligible household, multiple job cards have been issued to the same household in several cases, while, in others, job cards have gone to non-residents or even children. Muslim-dominated areas have seen an “abnormal escalation” in job cards issued, far exceeding the actual population, COMSO claimed, while also publicly naming one data entry operator.
COMSO wants a high-level magisterial inquiry at the very least to investigate these claims, suspension of officials immediately while the inquiry is ongoing, comprehensive audit of job cards and wage disbursements, prosecution of those found to have committed the corruption and reforms to ensure that this does not happen again.
