Cong files complaint, says babus siphoned off NREGS funds

The state-level NREGA monitoring committee of the Congress claimed to have found serious irregularities in the implementation of the Act in the seven districts of the Bundelkhand region 8212; Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Banda, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Hamirpur, and Jalaun. Names of the district magistrates, chief development officers, divisional forest officers of these districts along with commissioners of Jhansi and Chitrakoot have also been included in the complaint.

Terming the plantation project as fake, Joshi said, 8220;Our committee has counted the trees and found that the government has planted only 30 to 50 per cent plants out of the total 10 crore plants stipulated by the government order.8221;

The state government, through a May 14 government order, initiated the special plantation project, pegged at Rs 413 crore. The state government has already availed Rs 219 crore from the central government under the NREGA.

8220;We found that the minimum wage provisions of the NREGA were being openly flouted by the officials. The labourers were paid Rs 20 to 30 per day for digging 66 cubic feet surface as against the minimum wage of Rs 100,8221; Joshi said.

The committee claimed that their complaint is backed by video recordings of the interviews of villagers who were paid only a fraction of the wages they were entitled to. 8220;Since more than half of the plants have not been planted, the scam amounts to around 200 crores and another 100 crore come out of the deflated wages paid to the labourers,8221; Joshi said.

Further, she alleged that the ministers concerned were also involved in the irregularities. 8220;We will meet Governor T V Rajeswer on Sunday and will present our report to him,8221; she added.