In the Bolangir district of Odisha, there have been allegations of widespread irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with money reportedly being embezzled using fictitious worker and vendor records. On Monday, reports of significant disparities from the Bangomunda block raised questions about grassroots accountability and monitoring.
Records that are currently accessible indicate that MGNREGA payments were purportedly taken out of the Chandotara panchayat under the Bangomunda block in the name of a deceased person. Mangalu Bachha, who passed away on January 30, 2020, was identified in muster rolls as having worked under the employment scheme in June 2020, according to documents. Several months after his passing, thousands of rupees were taken out in his name, according to official records.

Alleged Fake Labour and Vendor Entries
In addition to this issue, claims have surfaced that MGNREGA payments were withheld using the names of fictitious labourers in a number of Bolangir district locations. In other cases, money was purportedly embezzled through fake vendor entries, suggesting a broader pattern of anomalies in the rural employment program's implementation.
A complaint was sent to the district collector.
Jitendra Bachha, the current sarpanch of Chandotara panchayat, is said to have learnt of the purported irregularities over five years later. He has sent the Bolangir District Collector a written complaint with supporting documentation, requesting a comprehensive investigation and suitable action.Gaon Sathi Gauri Sahu and her husband Ghasiram Sahu have also been accused of helping to prepare fictitious muster rolls and enabling the purported embezzlement of MGNREGA monies. According to reports, the accused has not yet been prosecuted in spite of the allegation.
Government Initiatives and Migration Concerns
Bangomunda is one of the blocks where a lot of people are migrating in quest of work. According to reports, Mangalu Bachha is among a number of people whose names were allegedly exploited in official records while legitimate job applicants continued to be unemployed.The Odisha Panchayati Raj Minister recently visited Bolangir and conducted door-to-door interviews to find unemployed families. According to reports, the exercise showed that a number of eligible beneficiaries either did not have employment cards or had moved despite having them because there was no work available in the area. Since then, the government has established task teams to guarantee jobs at the village level and reduce migration.
Allegations, however, indicate that MGNREGA funds are purportedly being syphoned using fictitious accounts and the names of deceased workers, and that worthy beneficiaries are still being denied employment in spite of these steps.