Job scheme irregularities: Maya lashes out at Ramesh

Hitting back at Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh over the issue of irregularities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MNREGA), UP Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday asked if any other state was being “harassed” in a similar manner and whether such an environment was being created “deliberately”.

Questioning as to how so many shortcomings had surfaced suddenly, Mayawati said it was improper to give “baseless” information on the implementation of the scheme in the state.

Reading out the chief minister’s statement at a press conference here, cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said, “The CM has said that giving entirely baseless and misleading information is not proper. She has requested the rural development minister to take immediate steps to bring transparency in MNREGA”.

In a recent letter to Mayawati, Ramesh had accused her of protecting those involved in irregularities in the scheme’s implementation in some districts while providing the names of corrupt officials. He had cited instances of alleged irregularities and corruption in Balrampur, Gonda, Mahoba, Sonbhadra, Kushinagar, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar.

Singh said while the letter was circulated to the media on November 17, it was received by the state government only yesterday.

“The CM wants to know whether any other state is being harassed in a similar manner by writing letters regularly and whether such an environment is being created deliberately,” he said. He claimed UP was one of the best performing states in the country as far as MNREGA was concerned.

The cabinet secretary said three-fourth of MNREGA funds were being “directly devolved” to the gram panchayats in the state. “We have received 21 reports of central monitors and 17 action taken reports have already been sent. Four others are in the pipeline,” he said.

The cabinet secretary said that action was being taken by the state government whenever irregularities were detected and 117 cases had been lodged so far.

“Of the districts mentioned in the letter, 10 FIRs have been lodged in Sonbhadra district itself,” he claimed. In reply to the union minister’s letter, a detailed letter was being drafted by the state government, he added.

Raising questions over the proposed package for weavers, the cabinet secretary said the chief minister wanted to know whether it was a “political stunt”.

“After forming the government in 2007, the CM had demanded a package of Rs 36,000 crore for Poorvanchal, including welfare schemes for weavers. However, there has been no positive approach so far,” he said.

He claimed the chief secretary also wrote a letter to the Centre demanding various facilities for weavers, including interest-free loan, but no reply had been received so far.

“From its limited resources, the state government has launched a host of schemes to improve the socio-economic status of the weavers. The CM wants to know how the Centre was reminded about the weavers after four-and-a-half years,” he said.

In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi dismissed Mayawati’s criticism, saying nobody should be objecting to any enquiry sought into irregularities in MNREGA, as the scheme was directly related to the welfare of the poor.

“Had the UP government been vigilant in this matter, the situation would not have reached to this stage,” Alvi said when pointed out that probes have already been conducted there.