CoMSO demands withholding of material bills pending verification of job cards under Demdema block

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 31, 2025

The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) has demanded the Mission Director, State Rural Employment Society (SRES) to withheld the material bills pending verification of job cards and physical works under Demdema C&RD block for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

The CoMSO welcomed the order of the SRES mission director for a full-scale verification of all job cards issued within the Demdema block and said it reaffirms public faith in the mechanisms of transparent and just governance.

In its letter to the mission director on Friday, the confederation alleged that a significant number of Job Cards under Demdema Block may have been issued through irregular and opaque processes, in direct contravention of MGNREGA Guidelines. These include the absence of proper household surveys, non-consultation with Gram Sabhas, and alleged favoritism in beneficiary selection. As such, the database of active Job Cards is, at best, unreliable and in need of complete vetting.

“What raises deeper concern is the manner in which material bills—linked directly to the number of active Job Cards—have been prepared and submitted. If a large proportion of these cards are indeed invalid or ineligible, the corresponding material bills, calculated on their basis, are rendered suspect. The risk of inflated claims, ghost works, and financial leakage becomes not only plausible but likely.

Additionally, it is credibly reported that many works sanctioned during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 fiscal years were not executed as per technical specifications or measurable standards, with physical completion not even amounting to 30% in some cases. These inconsistencies call for a concurrent technical and financial audit to ensure that public funds are utilized solely for the benefit of genuine beneficiaries,” it stated.

“In view of the foregoing, we respectfully request your office to consider issuing a directive to:

Withhold the release of all pending material bills under Demdema C&RD Block until a complete door-to-door verification of all Job Cards is completed. To initiate an inquiry into the physical execution and financial utilisation of all works sanctioned under MGNREGA for the financial years 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 and to recommend appropriate disciplinary action if any officials or personnel are found complicit in enabling irregularities,” it added.