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MGNREGA Social Audit tabled in House exposes Rs 1.94 Crore irregularities, awareness gap in Himachal
Shimla, March 30,
MGNREGA Social Audit Report tabled in Himachal Assembly exposes Rs 1.94 crore misappropriation, and highlights awareness gap in Himachal Pradesh with weak grievance redressal and implementation gaps.
According to the report, a total of 17,470 issues were reported during the financial year, out of which 9,674 Action Taken Reports were uploaded on the MIS, while only 2,417 issues were closed satisfactorily. The report categorises these issues into financial misappropriation, financial deviations, grievances and process violations, reflecting irregularities across multiple levels of implementation.
Under financial misappropriation alone, the audit identified 5,813 cases involving an amount of Rs 1,94,35,251 as reported in the social audit. Of this, Rs 45,67,911 has been accepted and recovered so far, while Rs 31,49,760 was rejected . The report documents various categories of misappropriation, including “payment to person who did not work”, “fake bills”, and instances where “booked expenses have not been spent” .
The frequency analysis of issues highlights the extent of wage-related irregularities, including 1,914 cases of “payment to person who did not work”, 1,181 cases where payments were made to “mate, Panchayat president, secretary, ward members and other influential persons and their relatives who did not work”, and 1,023 instances where “wages paid to a person twice on the same date” were recorded . The report also notes 583 cases where “amount misappropriated by individuals through fake entries” was identified.
Financial deviations amounting to Rs 6,76,41,509 were also recorded across 1,316 cases during the year, with instances such as “expenditure amount is greater than the amount sanctioned”, “significant differences between measurements at worksite and recorded values”, and non-production of key documents including measurement books, muster rolls and vouchers during the audit process .
In addition to financial irregularities, the audit documented 8,561 process violations, including lapses in transparency and record maintenance. Among these, 3,142 instances were recorded where “Citizen Information boards are not put up”, while 908 cases noted that “Rozgar Diwas is not conducted once every month” . The report also records 366 instances where “pay slips are not issued to workers” and 123 cases where “job cards are not with workers”, indicating gaps in basic compliance requirements.
The report further highlights 1,780 grievances registered during the year, of which only 117 were redressed . Complaints ranged from “job card not updated” and “unable to get job card” to “non-payment of minimum wages” and lack of worksite facilities, including 568 cases of “non-provision of worksite facilities” .
Significantly, the audit identifies lack of awareness as a recurring issue affecting implementation. Under process violations related to transparency and accountability, the report explicitly records that “awareness on MGNREGS and implementation processes is very poor”, with 91 such instances documented .
The report also records limited disciplinary action despite the scale of findings. During 2024–25, a total of 151 employees were fined, 1,650 were censured or warned, one employee was suspended, one terminated and one FIR registered across the state .
The findings, based entirely on verification of records, physical inspection of works and public hearings, present a detailed account of implementation gaps, financial irregularities and procedural lapses in the execution of MGNREGA across Himachal Pradesh.
About the Author
The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
