Cuttack Collector orders salary withholding for 12 employees for poor MGNREGA performance

Bhubaneswar, Dec 21: Frustrated by the inadequate performance of 12 government employees in fulfilling their responsibilities under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Cuttack District Collector has ordered their salaries to be withheld immediately.

Sources indicate that Cuttack ranks 29th out of 30 districts in Odisha concerning MGNREGA target achievements. In an effort to enhance the district's performance in this program, Collector Dattatreya Bhausaheb Shinde has instructed the Block Development Officers (BDOs) to withhold the salaries of these 12 accountants, who also work as Data Entry Operators.

These employees were tasked with the additional responsibility of facilitating employment for at least 100 individuals in each gram panchayat (GP) under MGNREGA. However, they failed to meet their targets. As a result, Shinde has directed the BDOs to enforce the salary withholding.

The decision to withhold the salaries was communicated via letters from Shinde to the BDOs, emphasizing the need for immediate compliance with his directive, according to sources.