*NREGA the Killer* ** *By Gladson Dungdung* *Mynews.in* *28 July, 2008* The National Employment Guarantee Act 2005 known as NREGA envisages for ensuring right to food of the poor in India has become a dreaded legislation for the Adivasis in Jharkhand. The recent victim of NREGA is 34 years old Tapas Soren of Sarwaha village of Churchu block in Hazaribagh district, who immolated himself after being made prey of corruption in NREGA. Tapas Soren was living in a mud house in Srwaha village with his father Rupan Soren (64), wife Dashmi Tudu (26) and two kids - 5 year old son Sameer Soren and 7 year old daughter Sumanti Soren. His family depends on agriculture, coal selling and forest produces for their survival. The family has 1.50 acre agricultural land. Tapas used to grow vegetables for selling in the market and engaged in coal selling during the off season.
Tapas Soren had secured a scheme worth of Rs 1.69 lakh in December 2007 under the NREGA. He was fully engaged in digging a well in his village. In the first phage, he had withdrawn Rs 22,500 from his Bank account and had paid Rs 15,000 to the Block Development Officer Manmohan Prasad as his share and rest of the money went to his co-workers' wages. In the second phage, he withdrew Rs 50,000 in front of the Panchayat Sevak Brij Kishor Mahto who took Rs 35,000 from him as bribe and threatened that the balance amount of the scheme would not be released unless he pays the money as "share" of the higher officers including the Deputy Commissioner, which was fixed in percentage when the scheme was sanctioned. In the next time, when Tapas went to the Bank for withdrawing money for paying wages of his co-workers, he was stunned because the money was already withdrawn from his account with the involvement of the Bank officials. He made several complaints to the authorities but no one was ready to hear his pleas. On the other hand, his co-workers were putting pressure on him for the wages and the rumour started that the money was grabbed by him therefore he is making them fool. Meanwhile, he got a letter from the authority stating, since the monsoon has started therefore the work of digging well should be stopped and the account must be submitted to the concerned officer. This letter created a huge pressure on Tapas and put him in the state of shock and uncertainty. He ran from the pillar to post for resolving the matter but when all pleas fell on deaf ears, he decided to protest against it. He planned for the protest and he had poured kerosene oil on him and set fire at the busy Charhi Chowk in Hazaribagh at 2 PM on July 2 accordingly. 75 percent part of his body was burnt during the protest. He was admitted to the RIMS, Ranchiand later on referred to Safdarjung hospital, New Delhi where he took the last breath on July 8. His body was brought to his native village and cremated at 11 PM on July 10. His five year old son Sameer Soren performed the last rites. Rupan Soren the father of the deceased said that his son had bagged a scheme of constructing a well under the NREGA and when the work was done the labourers were demanding the wages but he was not in the position to pay them. He said, "Tapas had paid some wages after selling utensils and goats but unable to pay them as the amount was huge. After facing pressure from all corners, he took his life". "The corruption victimized my son," he added. According to Sr. Jema, an activist of Chotanagpur Adivasi Seva Samity, who is very much involved in this case, the NREGA is meant for the officials not for the poor. She questioned, "How can one carry out the work when the bribe is fixed in percentage in all the schemes?" Simply, "one can not survive with NREGA if the person has to pay 4 percent to Panchayat Sevak, 5 percent to BDO, 5 percent to Engineer and list goes on. Half of the money goes only in bribe, which is known to all the government officials but no one is punished for their involvement in corruption but only the poor who pay the price," she said. The Tapas immolation stormed the social and political arenas in the state. 2000 members of the Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee (JMACC) protested with the dead body in front of the Governor on July 10 in demand of immediate punishment to the guilty, Rs 10 lakh as compensation for the family and providing free education facilities for kids of the deceased. According to the spokesperson of JMACC, Xavier Dias, this case is a result of unacknowledged racism exits in this country. He said, "The colonial system in Jharkhand has always reserved that Adivasis are too Jungles enough for development. This invariably in the back of the mind in all the non-tribal bureaucrats; it is not just a mindset; but a racism this country denies." "We have to admit this existence in order to address the issue," he added. A member of the Parliament, Bhubneswar Prasad Mehta alleged, "If the administration had acted on the complaints of Tapas, he would not have taken such a drastic step". Former MP and the president of Dishum Party Salkhan Murmu demanded for CBI probe into the matter. "We demand for the CBI inquiry on the case of Tapas, said Murmu. The Congress MLA Niyel Tirkey has demanded to file a case against Anos Ekka, the Minister of Rural Development of Jharkhand under the section 302 of IPC. "Tapas had to end his life only because the existence of rampant corruption in the ministry", said Tirkey. The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased but it is not serious in punishing the culprits. Soon after the incidence, Madhu Koda, the chief minister of Jharkhand had ordered the NREGA commissioner Amitabh Kaushal to inquire into the matter and report to the government. But ironically, he had been transferred to Palamau district and the Deputy Commissioner Vinay Kumar Choubey has appointed Baldev Raj as a new investigation officer. "Action will be taken based on the investigation report", said Choubey. The investigation officer Baldev Raj said, "It is not a case of corruption but the mistake was done by the Bank". But the question arises is why the complaints of Tapas was not treated by the officials even after he pleaded for several times? The secretary of JMACC Poonit Minz said, "The investigation officer is trying to shield the corrupt officers therefore he is giving such statements, which is nothing than rubbing Sault on wound of Soren's family". "We are determined to fight for the justice of the family", he added. A case was registered in a complaint of Dashmi Tudu wife of the deceased against the BDO Manmohan Prasad, Panchayat Sevak Brij Kishor Mahto and Dinesh Prasad, the junior engineer under sections 409, 420, 384, 120B, 306, 511 of IPC and 9/13 of the prevention of Corruption Act 1988 but none of them was arrested yet. Interestingly, 38 complaints related to corruption in NREGA were registered in Hazaribagh district but the administration never took the complaints seriously, which clearly show that the government is not concerned about the unchecked corruption, which victimizes the poor. The questions remained unanswered are will the guilty be punished and the poor will get assurance of not being made the prey of corruption in the name of NREGA or will the impunity remain as it is practiced everywhere? http://www.mynews.in/viewcomment.aspx?pid=43
