NREGS scam detected in Balrampur,probe ordered

Under it,goods worth Rs 5 crore had been purchased in violation of the guidelines of the Act or informing the department.

According to the Act,every district can spend only four per cent of its NREGS budget to purchase items like information boards,registers,stationary and such material.

But it does not allow any central procurement for entire districts and the purchases have to be done according to the task approved.

According to official information,the Rs 5 crore procurements in Balrampur were made after the district had exhausted its limit.

Tin sheets,metal almirahs,registers and other stationary items were bought with the approval from then district magistrate Sachidanand Dubey.

In the procurement details sent to the Rural Development Department,the district officials could not explain why the items were bought or where they were utilised.

The department has asked the district magistrate to conduct a probe into these purchases and take action against the guilty officials.

It has also sent a recommendation to the state government to check the role of the former district magistrate and take suitable action against him.

The District Magistrate,Balrampur,Kanchan Verma said they have already conducted a preliminary inquiry into the matter.

“Around five officials from the administration and the district rural development office have been found guilty,” he said. “We have sent our report to the department.”

The Commissioner,Rural Development Department,Manoj Kumar Singh,said the department has asked the districts to shift NREGS accounts to nationalised banks and stop all procurement bills immediately.

“No payment will be cleared without proper verification of the task and procurements,” he said.

Irregularities elsewhere too
Balrampur is not the only district where a probe has been ordered and heads are expected to roll.

Sitapur
* Anomaly in payments
* Under guidelines,no one can be paid over Rs 10,000,but payments amounting to Rs 15,000 to Rs 35,000 were made
* Payment list did not match job site muster rolls
* FIRs lodged against 14 including three gram pradhans,district cooperative bank officials,secretary of Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society,panchayat secretary and BDO

Chandauli
* Department ordered FIR against the district cooperative bank and action against forest department officials for over-payment
* The Chief Minister’s Office constituted a two-member committee for probe