Focus on UP in Centre’s NREGA performance review

In the letter sent earlier this week,Sinha had expressed doubts about the state’s sincerity in tackling officials guilty of irregularities.

Four months ago,the state had suspended the indicted officials,which,Sinha had said,was not a strong enough measure. “Inaction on part of the state government in expediting disciplinary proceedings against the concerned officers puts the state government in a dubious position and castes a shadow on the action taken,” he had written. He had also expressed concern about reports that some of the officers involved had been given “prize postings”.

On the first day of the meeting,over five hours will be devoted to the MGNREGS implementation across the country over the last three months.

Besides senior officials from the concerned departments,the meeting is to be attended by Union Minister for Rural Development CP Joshi and all three Union Ministers of State for Rural Development,including Pradeep Jain Aditya,who is from Bundelkhand.

The issues concerning Uttar Pradesh also includes the lack of action on reports of Central monitors,misuse of NREGS funds and poor implementation of the scheme guidelines.

A senior official of the ministry said: “We are tired of regular complaints from Uttar Pradesh and believe that until strict action is taken against senior officers,those at the grassroot level will continue to misuse MNREGS funds. For this reason,we have given a chance to the state government to clear their stand.”