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Centre to probe MGNREGA irregularities in Punjab: Chouhan
Chouhan, who was on a one-day visit to Punjab, reviewed various schemes of the ministry of rural development in Jalandhar and interacted with beneficiaries at Jalandhar.
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the implementation and disbursement of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGA) in Punjab.
Chouhan, who was on a one-day visit to Punjab, reviewed various schemes of the ministry of rural development in Jalandhar and interacted with beneficiaries at Jalandhar. Earlier, he also visited the Moga district, where he lauded the panchayat of Ransih Kalan for initiating a community-based drive to discard paddy stubble burning by adopting in-situ disposal of the crop residue.
Addressing the press conference at Jalandhar, Chouhan said he had received multiple complaints regarding the irregularities and discrepancies in MGNREGA in Punjab.
“It is a serious issue as the complaints regarding—fake job cards, monopoly of the contractors and commissioning of work through them, irregularities in works like canal cleaning without actual work and denying jobs to the eligible workers —have come to fore. Apart from other parts of the state, such complaints were mainly received from Muktsar and Fazilka districts,” the Union minister said.
“A central team will be sent to investigate the grievances and discrepancies in detail,” said Chouhan, adding that even the state government has been directed to carry detailed inquiry so that punitive action could be taken against erring officials.
Punjab rural development and panchayat minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond was also present in the review meeting and said that the state has become the first in India to launch a face-recognition and geo-tagging–based attendance system for MGNREGA workers. The pilot project, currently underway in Fatehgarh Sahib, will soon be expanded to all 23 districts.
“The state government has already launched an extensive crackdown on corruption, leading to the suspension of 23 officials linked to MGNREGA irregularities during previous regimes. The state has also recovered ₹2 crore from officials involved in corrupt practices related to the scheme,” Sond said.
No dearth of funds for Punjab
On the AAP government’s accusation that the ₹1,600 crore flood-relief amount has not been released, Chouhan said a sum of ₹480 crore has been released to the state. “Funds are being released continuously, as there was no dearth of funds for Punjab,” he said.
“In some matters, utilisation certificates are required from the state government, and if utilisation certificates for the expenditure of 75% of the work are not given, then the following amount is not released,” he said.Referring to the repair of flood-damaged houses, Chouhan said the state government had given a list of 36,000 homes for rebuilding under the PM AwasYojana. Moga panchayat a role model
In Moga, Chouhan took stock of various social initiatives and termed the panchayat a role model for other villages across the country in conserving natural resources. The minister mentioned that the villagers of the progressive village have not burnt paddy stubble for the last six kharif seasons and have used the organic waste to enhance crop productivity. He lauded the 36-year-old sarpanch Preet Inder Pal Singh for leading from the front to usher in the wave of change at the village. Chouhan met several farmers at the village to learn from their experience by staying away from burning paddy residue.
Chouhan also praised the Ransih Kalan panchayat for covering open drains, which has ended the threat of water-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
Adopt pulse cultivation
Chouhan reiterated that the central government is committed to 100% procurement of key pulses like tur, urad, and masoor at the minimum support price (MSP). “India has to import pulses and oilseeds to meet its domestic requirements. The Centre has rolled out a plan to buy it on MSP.But farmers growing wheat and rice should not worry as the centre would continue to procure it, but we need to move forward,” added Chouhan.
