Meghalaya employment schemes not implemented properly: CAG

SHILLONG, Jan 5 — Growth in insurgency in Meghalaya is often attributed to lack of employment opportunities, but unfortunately tardy and perfunctory implementation of employment generation schemes besides under utilisation of funds have adversely affected creation of jobs in the State. Various urban employment generation programmes had been implemented in the State since 1989 with the objective of alleviating urban poverty through creation of self employment. Besides, wage employment is generated through construction of socially and economically useful assets.

“The programmes were implemented perfunctorily in as much as half of the funds available during 1995-96 to 1999-2000 could not be utilised,” the latest CAG report said, castigating the Meghalaya Government for its failures. The report further said, “There was no follow-up action on the part of the implementing authority about the impact of investment on self employment ventures.” Presenting some telling facts, the report revealed that of the nearly Rs 8 crore available under Urban Poverty Alleviation Programmes (UPAP) during 1995-96 to 1999-2000, Rs 4.45 crore remained unutilised at the end of March 2000 affecting adversely the generation of urban employment. Again, there was a huge shortfall in generation of employment to the extent of 48 to 77 per cent in respect of self-employment under NRY, SJSRY and PMRY and 100 per cent in wage employment under PMIUPEP scheme, despite funds being available with the executing agencies. Failure of the State Government to constitute municipal boards in the district headquarter towns of Nongstoin and Nongpoh deprived the urban poor of these two towns the benefits of the programmes under UPA. The CAG report pulled up the Meghalaya Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for not carrying out any appraisal of the investment of Rs 67.31 lakh towards payment of subsidy and imparting training to set up self-employment ventures by the authority. During the five year period, banks financed loan of nearly Rs 10 crore under Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana (PMRY) to 1577 beneficiaries to set up self-employment ventures on the recommendation of the state’s Director of Industries. Surprisingly, however, he had not carried out any survey till March 2000 to ascertain the status of the investments. Observing that there was no system of monitoring the physical and financial progress of the schemes, the CAG report recommended ‘proper utilisation of fund with reference to objectives should be a condition for release of further funds.