Kolkata, June 8 -- Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal has issued fresh instructions to District Magistrates to strengthen implementation, monitoring and accountability under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), renamed as Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), which resumed in West Bengal in June.

Agarwal has also sought a report from the Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) Department on the verification of beneficiaries under the Banglar Bari housing scheme implemented by the previous Trinamool Congress government. He stated that several ineligible beneficiaries had allegedly received benefits, causing substantial losses to the public exchequer.

The directive calls for identification of such beneficiaries for possible legal action. A complete re-verification of beneficiaries in both phases of the scheme has been ordered, including identification of those ineligible under scheme guidelines and Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD) beneficiaries detected during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 exercise.

On MGNREGS, districts have been directed to cleanse the database of 2.56 crore job card holders and complete 100 per cent e-KYC verification of active workers. Geo-tagging of works, estimate preparation, muster roll generation, electronic measurement book recording, fund transfer order generation and other processes are to be carried out through prescribed digital platforms. Wage payments will continue through the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS).

Agarwal noted that inadequate planning, excessive sanctioning of works, weak supervision and poor verification had adversely affected implementation in the past.

District Magistrates, as District Programme Coordinators, have been asked to establish mandatory verification and inspection systems covering worksites, asset quality, muster rolls, wage payments, procurement and project completion. The role of BDOs in strengthening implementation has also been emphasised.

Meanwhile, the P&RD Department has begun identifying fresh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin). Survey teams have been deployed in every Gram Panchayat for door-to-door verification, with the exercise scheduled to be completed by July 20.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.