Nanded is one of the most backward districts in the state of Maharashtra. It had received award for its exemplary performance in the implementation of MNREGA from the union government for 'Planning for Water Conservation' 2010-11. Since 2012-13, its implementation has almost come to a virtual standstill due to exposure of corruption. It has happened due to two conflicting claims. The first is due to detention of many officials including Junior Engineer and Sarpanch and an enquiry is underway. The local officials think that arrest was made under political influence without conducting a proper inquiry as there have been serious attempts by various political parties to show the scheme in a bad light and thwart the implementation of MNREGA. This has made them wary of dealing with MNREGA as the indiscriminate arrests have instilled a sense of fear in them. This is despite the fact that subsequently there have been many systemic improvements. For example, most of the wage payments now go through banks rather than the post office. There is a helpline and ombudsman for grievance redressal, and so on. The second is contrary to the allegations posed by implementing agencies; facts through Right to Information (RTI) application show that the most rampant form of corruption happened through the deliberate creation of bogus workers by some corrupt officials and a large proportion of funds have been siphoned off by them. Meanwhile, the benefits of Water Conservation which the district has experienced for three years are at risks if the standstill of the programme is not removed soon. The poor and farmers will be the most affected people as drought, scarcity of water and declining water table put their livelihood in danger. Suppose the state government has posted you as DM effective handling of the issues then (a) Identify the major flaws in handling of the above case by the district administration. (b) Discuss your strategies to instil confidence among local officials so that the programme can be resumed with the same enthusiasm. (c) Suppose you were in place of the outgoing DM then what could have been your correct responses when the scam was exposed which might have averted the pitfalls?

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2016

Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.