Realising an urgent need of transparency in the implementation of its flagship MGNREGA, the government will soon introduce biometric cards for the workers to check fund leakages and expedite wage payments.
Rural development minister C.P. Joshi has been concerned over several complaints of fund leakages, fake muster rolls and delay in payment of wages to the poor beneficiaries of the act, which tend to defeat the purpose of the rural job scheme.
According to the plan, the rural development ministry will create a database of such biometric cards and share the same with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which has developed standards for the information, communication and technology (ICT) devices, to be used for capturing all the processes of the MGNREGA.
Though the web-based monthly information system (MIS) has been recording daily attendance at MGNREGA work sites, the exercise would become real time through the new initiative, said sources.
“The biometric cards and the ICT devices will cover the entire MGNREGA process right from the registration, demand of work, issue of receipt, allocation of work up to payment of wages. This will help us reduce the delays and ensure timely payments,” said a senior official in the ministry.
Under the plan, the ministry will have a transaction advisor, who will prepare guidelines and service level agreements with the state governments. The ministry plans to complete the process within the next 12 months and hopes to roll out the universal rollout of biometric cards from August this year.
Sources said the move would firm up national standards and take the state governments on board for the implementation of the project. The minister has often cited indifference of some state governments behind the slow progress of the MGNREGA.
The decision was taken this month, after a special group formed to look into the issue met for the first time on May 10.