Right to Information activist and member of state-level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (Panchayat and Rural Development Department) Ajay Dubey has accused the Chief Secretary and other senior officers of the State Government of misusing the funds allocated for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in the state.
Dubey has alleged that peons that have been hired by the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Employment Guarantee Board from private agencies are deployed at the residences of these officials and working as their domestic attendants there.
"It is very shocking to know that while the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister has only one domestic peon, the Chief Secretary has two peons, named Gulab Bai and Chandrakant. Similarly, five peons are deployed at the residence of Additional Chief Secretary and six at the residence of the Board Commissioner," Dubey said here on Thursday.
Targeting the senior bureaucrats, Dubey has demanded them to explain the reason for using additional peons when they have been already allocated peons officially. "It is a well known fact that the Chief Secretary handles sensitive and secret tasks for the government, so he should explain under what rule they have been deployed there," Dubey has asked.
He has further alleged that huge irregularities under MNREGA are happening in the state and yet strict action against the guilty is not taken because the Chief Secretary himself and other senior officers are deeply involved and taking benefit out of such irregularities.
"World records of corruption are being created under MNREGA in Madhya Pradesh. An instance of this is the bridge that was being built in Rakhi Bujurg village of Barwani district at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Under MNREGA, such works are not allowed. Significantly, the Barwani Collector who permitted the construction is now Secretary at the lokayukta Organization," Dubey said, adding that he will put the matter before Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.