State govt may be diverting rural job scheme funds, says Tewari
Monday, 13/01/2014
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140113/punjab.htm#3
Ludhiana: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today said the SAD-BJP Government had been delaying wages to workers employed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He feared that the cash-starved state government might be diverting the funds for scheme for running day-to-day affairs.
Tewari said Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had written to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal drawing his attention towards this lapse.
“It appears that the state government is diverting funds as otherwise there is no reason as to why wages should be delayed by months together when these must be paid within 15 days,” the minister said.
The Punjab Government had not disbursed 55 per cent of the wages, amounting to over Rs 55 crore. Payments totalling Rs 10 crore had been delayed by more than two months, he said.
Abohar: Though Union Ministry of Rural Development this fiscal released Rs 40 crore towards the State Employment Guarantee Fund for implementing MGNREGA, there has been a delay in disbursing wages.
In a letter, dated January 8, to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh described the delay as "grave violation of the basic entitlements of these workers as MGNREGA stipulates that wage payments be made within 15 days."
The letter read: “As of now, wages amounting to Rs 55.6 crore (55 per cent of the total wage payments) have been delayed by over 15 days. Out of this, payments of Rs 10.5 crore have been delayed by more than 60 days”.
Advising the state government to disburse all payments to beneficiaries immediately, the minister said that compensation, as applicable, also needed to be paid. In another letter faxed to the CM on December 30, 2013, he had regretted that the state rating on MGNREGA payments was poor.
He had also expressed concern over the state's “poor response” on the implementation of the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP).
