Yavatmal: Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has ordered the Maharashtra Government to file an affidavit on a PIL which alleges corruption committed in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Agency (MGNREGA) scheme in the district in 2011-12. The division bench of Justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Justice AB Chaudhari on Friday ordered the government to file an affidavit on the PIL by July 22, 2013.
The PIL was filed by a Pandharkawda-based social activist Rajanikant Borele. According to the PIL, a huge sum of funds running into thousands of crores had been allocated for the implementation of the scheme. "There was rampant corruption and red tapism in the scheme. It was also found that names of dead persons were shown in the muster and their wages were pocketed. Works were carried out only on paper and the fund was pinched," Borele said.
Bogus bank and post office accounts were opened in the names of the labourers and their wages were withdrawn by using their job cards. This amount was also pinched in a well-planned manner. The works done under State sponsored Employment Guarantee Schemes (EGS) were shown under the MGNREGA and the fund was pocketed with the connivance of the officers, the PIL said.
Separate inquiries into the alleged irregularities and corruption have been initiated and reports of the probe panels followed by the accounts audit reports confirmed the irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the schemes. Respondents in the case include the Chief Secretary of the State, Chairman of MGNREGA, Divisional Commissioner, Amravati, District Collector, CEO and CCF of Yavatmal and Nagpur.
Comments
0 comment