AID Saathi Dayamani Barla compared NREGA job cards with reality in rural areas of Bihar and Jharkhand:

Joseph Topeno’s job card #24403, shows 36 days work, whereas he only worked 4 days on pond construction.

Christochit's family job card #24271, shows 48 days work. He and his wife dug 6 trenches, and were paid 6 days' wages!

The stories go on. More days recorded than actually worked or paid for ... this means families don't get their full 100 days work. Who gets the fictitious days' wages? Villagers in Jharkhand have filed RTI petitions to find out.

For full articles (with translation) of Dayamani Barla, an adivasi woman who writes about environment, displacement and corruption in Prabhat Khabar and Hindi dailies, visit www.aidindia.org.