Chandigarh, November 13, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded that the probe in the multi-crore MGNREGA embezzlement case should be handed over to the Central Vigilance Commission even as it accused the Congress government of shielding its regional leadership and legislators directly involved in the case by taking action against few low-level officers.
Reacting to the action taken by Punjab Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa with regard to the MGNREGA embezzlement case, SAD Spokesman Parambans Singh Bunty Romana termed it as “ too little too late and a mere eye wash”.
He pointed out that action had been taken only against low-level officers even as no action had been taken against Congress leaders and legislators who had pressurised the officers to loot the public exchequer. “The officers who have been dismissed are small pawns even as the big fish are roaming scot free”, he added.
He said only a deep probe by a central agency would be able to catch the big fish who has siphoned off hundreds of crores and not Rs 2.59 crore which has been detected presently.
Accusing the Congress ministers of looting the money meant for the poorest sections of the society, the SAD leader said, the MGNREGA scheme was being implemented across the country to provide assured employment to the unprivileged segments of the society.
“The Congress functionaries in league with corrupt officials brazenly siphoned off MGNREGA funds meant for poor farmers and labourers. The present discovery is just the tip of the iceberg. Much more embezzlement has been done. Action must be taken against all the Congress leaders responsible for looting the poor,” he said.
Divulging details of the case, Parambans Romana said as per a UGC study covering 65 villages in 22 districts of Punjab, the scheme was also not managed properly and could only generate 20.23 average days of employment in a year against the mandated 100 days.
He said the study said only 1.64 percent beneficiary households got the mandated 100 days employment while 21.29 percent did not get any work. S. Romana said as per reports beneficiaries had to pay bribes to get a Job Card and that in many cases, such cards were made in the name of big farmers.
The SAD leader slammed the Congress government for encouraging its ministers and legislators to shamelessly indulge in the corrupt practices while supervising the central schemes meant for the poor.
