The Report - North 24 Parganas

20. JOGONNATH MONDOLPayments systems on NREGA have to be improved and regularised tomeet the needs of poor peopleJogonnath Mondal, a sixty year old farmer, resides in the Jogeshgunj area inHingalgunj. His wife’s name is Kanan Mondal and she is around fifty five. Mondalhas two sons and no daughters. The eldest son has just completed his Masters inHistory while the younger one is pursuing his graduation. The younger also hastwo certificates in computer education. The older son is trying for a job and hasappeared for a few written tests for government jobs and interviews but to noavail till date. He used to give private tuitions to children in the village but as thefamilies did not pay properly he has gone to join the “Shorbo Shiksha Abjijan” inPune from where he has been sent to Maharashtra. His father is unable to saywhat he is working at exactly.Mondal is a carpenter and he had wanted his sons to take the Madhyamikexamination and then join him but they both wanted to study further and as theyare now looking for jobs they are neither getting any nor are they being able tohelp their father with his work. Mondal says that he is facing much financialproblems because of that. He himself has had no education but his wife hadstudied till class eight.Jogonnath Mondal has inherited fifteen kathas of land from his father and hasbuilt a house on it. He has started living there since the past two months. Hesolely depends on his carpentry for his living. He says, “As both my sons are stilllooking for jobs I still have to work hard at the age of sixty. Unless I work, there willbe no food in the house.” He says that he would be able to retire only when hissons start to earn. He also says that others like his own older brother who is just sixmonths older to him, is getting an old age pension for the past two years butJogonnath has not got it.Mondal says that he has done his best to educate his children and that nowsince they have come to a certain stand in life, it is up to them how they wouldfare and the rest is up to their own fates. He himself pulls a van when there is nowood work to be done. Jogonnath says that he has no savings at all and if he orhis wife were to be taken ill now then they would have no money for thetreatment. All earnings went into educating his sons.Jogonnath recalls that when he was young his uncle approached the court tobe able to take over what legally belonged to Kalipada Mondal, Jogonnath’sfather. His uncle took the advantage of some sort of discrepancy in the papers.For seventeen long years the two brothers fought it out in court. Since then there