SAD MP from Bathinda and the Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday alleged that Punjab was plagued by a “MNREGA mafia” which was pocketing central funds meant for poor farmers and labourers. She urged the Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Tomar to initiate strict action against the Congress functionaries and officials responsible for the same.
Harsimrat, in a letter to the Rural Development Minister, said that MNREGA funds meant for poor farmers and labourers were being siphoned off by Congress functionaries in league with corrupt officials adversely affecting the success of the scheme in the State.
“As per a UGC study covering 65 villages in 22 districts, the scheme was also not being managed properly and could only generate 20.23 average days of employment in a year against the mandated 100 days. The study said that only 1.64 percent beneficiary households got the mandated 100 days employment while 21.29 percent did not get any work. As per reports, the beneficiaries had to pay bribes to get a job card and in many cases such cards were made in the name of big farmers,” she said.
Requesting the Minister to intervene in the matter, she demanded that cases should be registered against all those misusing and misappropriating central funds.
AT the same time, she also urged the Minister to carry out an inspection of MNREGA work in Budhlada, Bathinda Rural and Buchho in Bathinda parliamentary constituency as there were large scale complaints of misuse of MNREGA funds by government officers in connivance with Sarpanches and local Congress leaders.