Date:04/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/04/stories/2008020459211500.htm

National

Social audit teams attacked in Rajasthan

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Members of four teams trying to conduct social audit of the much talked about National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in Manohar Thana block of Jhalwar district in Rajasthan, including noted economist Jean Dreze, were attacked and chased out of villages on Sunday in a show of unrestrained violence against civil society groups.

Over 400 activists of Rozgar Evum Suchana Ka Adhikar Abhiyan were sitting on a dharna in front of the Manohar Thana block office – falling in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s former Lok Sabha constituency – since January 29 waiting for photocopies of the work carried out under the scheme. The local Sarpanch Sangh stoutly opposed the activists’ application for information submitted under the NREGS guidelines.

When the activists set out to various villages in the block for conducting the social audit in a peaceful and participative manner on Sunday, they were allegedly beaten up and chased out. Four to five members of the team that went to Banskhedi village were showered with lathis and stones as they barely arrived and had to leave the village even before stepping into it. A woman member was allegedly hit with a stone and was badly bruised needing stitches for her treatment. The activists identified one of the attackers as Phelu, Deputy Sarpanch of Banskhedi panchayat.