‘CBI probe needed in NREGA scam’
6 Dec 2012 5:18 AM IST
Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said that Uttar Pradesh government should not shy away from ordering a CBI probe into the scam in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA) and asked the state government not to give patronage to the tainted officials.
‘The UP government should order CBI probe into the irregularities in MGNREGA detected in the seven districts of the state and punish those who squandered public money by depriving the poor of their rights,’ he told media persons here on Tuesday. He said it is a crime of depriving the poor of the money these deserve.
‘This is a well documented fact that many village level officials in connivance with gram pradhan or Panchayat officials minted money. Those people who did this inhuman act should be punished and should be sent to jail,’ the Union Minister said. ‘The State Government should order CBI probe so that truth can come to the fore,’ he said government probe has found that in seven districts of the state officials squandered MGNREGA fund. The Pradhans either did not make job cards and wherever these were made they were meant to benefit the family members of Pradhan. It is believed over Rs 125 crore was taken away by these people.
‘I believe that government was trying to protect the officials who orchestrated this loot. Otherwise, why no action has been initiated against these babus till now. These people should have been sent to jail and should have been asked to repay the government money they looted,’ the minister said.
Ramesh, who later met CM Akhilesh Yadav raised the matter before him and even asked him not to give patronage to the officials who are involved in the scam. ‘These people should be charge sheeted and sent to jail,’ Ramesh told Yadav.
‘The UP government should order CBI probe into the irregularities in MGNREGA detected in the seven districts of the state and punish those who squandered public money by depriving the poor of their rights,’ he told media persons here on Tuesday. He said it is a crime of depriving the poor of the money these deserve.
‘This is a well documented fact that many village level officials in connivance with gram pradhan or Panchayat officials minted money. Those people who did this inhuman act should be punished and should be sent to jail,’ the Union Minister said. ‘The State Government should order CBI probe so that truth can come to the fore,’ he said government probe has found that in seven districts of the state officials squandered MGNREGA fund. The Pradhans either did not make job cards and wherever these were made they were meant to benefit the family members of Pradhan. It is believed over Rs 125 crore was taken away by these people.
‘I believe that government was trying to protect the officials who orchestrated this loot. Otherwise, why no action has been initiated against these babus till now. These people should have been sent to jail and should have been asked to repay the government money they looted,’ the minister said.
Ramesh, who later met CM Akhilesh Yadav raised the matter before him and even asked him not to give patronage to the officials who are involved in the scam. ‘These people should be charge sheeted and sent to jail,’ Ramesh told Yadav.
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