Funds allocated for central schemes being siphoned off in Bengal: Adhikari writes to PM

In a four-page letter, Adhikari alleged that every day numerous incidents of malpractices were being unearthed across the state.

“This has become an ongoing and continuous process. Very often news reports keep surfacing that novel kinds of means and ways are being adopted to carry out corrupt activities and swindling money granted for various schemes for public welfare,” reads the letter.

The BJP MLA alleged that a new avenue had been created in the state to siphon off crores of rupees. “MGNREGA funds are being utilised for plantation of saplings, mangrove saplings and several varieties of fruit-bearing plants. On documents, it’s being claimed that thousands of hectares have been covered under the said initiative. However, the reality is strikingly far from it. At the time of inspection, it’s being claimed that the plants were washed away in cyclonic storms like Yass and Amphan or other natural calamities. Even the naturally grown plants are shown as planted through man-days created under MGNREGA,” he wrote.

He alleged that MGNREGA has been turned into a money-minting scheme by local functionaries of the ruling party.

“As of now, central teams are surveying some panchayats in Bengal and you would be astonished to know that this has made panchayat representatives and authorities nervous. Many panchayat offices are functioning at the dark hours of the night, not for the welfare of the people, but for moving and shifting documents that would incriminate them eventually if they find their way to the central team members,” he wrote.

In the letter, Adhikari also accused the state government and the administration of flouting rules and norms while implementing various central schemes.

“They have deliberately changed the original names of various central schemes and used their own whimsical names instead for such schemes. Only when a central inspection/audit team visits a certain location, local authorities change the nameplates or the sign boards overnight to misguide the visiting team into believing that the due compliance has been adhered to,” he wrote.

In a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Mamata Banerjee had on Friday sought his intervention for urgent release of funds due to the state on account of the implementation of the rural job scheme MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana and the PM Gramin Sadak Yojana. The amount due to the state under these schemes stood at about Rs 17,996.32 crore, she said.