Two contractual staff removed on charges of attendance fraud in MGNREGA Scheme in Raichur

Raichur (Karnataka), Jul 16 (PTI) Two Gram Panchayat staff were removed from service for dereliction of duty for allegedly maintaining fraudulent attendance records under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in this district, officials said on Wednesday.

The disciplinary action was initiated by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Zilla Panchayat against Nirupadi and Jayamma, posted at Nagalapur Gram Panchayat in Lingasugur Taluk, they said.

Nirupadi served as a 'barefoot technician' and Jayamma worked as a Gram Kayaka Mitra, both jobs are contractual in nature.

A Barefoot Technician (BFT) is an individual trained in basic civil engineering skills, while Gram Kayaka Mitra refers to individuals appointed at the Gram Panchayat (village council) level to assist with the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme in Karnataka.

Both of them were removed from their posts following an official inquiry into irregularities in the NMMS (National Mobile Monitoring System) attendance system, according to official orders dated July 14.

Citing an inquiry into the alleged irregularities observed, the orders further stated that both officials were responsible for supervising and uploading attendance records of daily wage laborers working on various de-silting projects in Hirehalla and surrounding areas between April and May, 2025.

Anomalies were detected in at least 176 nominal muster rolls (NMRs) involving 1,489 workers.

According to the order, during inquiry, irregularities were found in NMMS attendence entries with the officials marking attendance for workers who were allegedly not present, replacing actual workers with different people in photos, same person marked present in multiple NMRs, mismatches between gender and photographs in the NMMS app, and failure to record two mandatory daily attendances as per government guidelines.

When notices were served to both to explain the alleged irregularities, the duo admitted to errors in attendance management.

As per the orders, their actions were found to violate MGNREGA guidelines and amounted to misuse of government funds by falsifying attendance records. As a result, the Zilla Panchayat has removed both officials from their duties with immediate effect, citing dereliction of duty, gross negligence, and deliberate misconduct. PTI AMP ADB