Bhubaneswar: BJP on Saturday slams the BJD government for allegedly failing to submit a certificate of utilization and not to fulfill the various norms of the National Rural Rural Works of Mahatma Gandhi (MGNREGA) on time, resulting in delays in the release of funds by the center.
Odisha.
Responding to a letter written by the main Minister of Naveen Patnaik to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 1 who was looking for a release of delayed amounts of more than 1,700 crore rs under Mgnega, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi told the press conference that the country strongly failed to implement a rural work scheme and do not follow legal procedures.
Aparajita said the Odisha government did not submit an audit report and the audit utilization certificate for the first half of the year on time to get the second installment, which was the main reason behind the delay of money.
The government submitted a proposal for funds by providing an audit report to the Ministry of Rural Development Union on November 1, he said.
Aparajita last worked as a joint secretary at the Union of the Rural Ministry (who operated MGNREGA) before joining politics in 2018.
He said while it was obliged to have an Ombudsman in each district under the scheme, the state has not officially appointed in eight of 30 districts.
He alleged that social audit had shown misuse of funds to RS Nada 4.80 Crore under the scheme.
However, the state has succeeded in recovering only Rs 1.58 Crore at a 33 percent level, which is very low, he said.
The state requires a recovery plan that is bound by time, he added.
Although on time the project completion is one of the main indicators of state performance based on schemes, only 21 percent of work taken at 2020-2021 and 3 percent on 2021-2022 are complete.
The state has not responded 21 audit objections submitted by the Ministry in the implementation of the scheme, said Bhubaneswar MP.
Reacting to Aparajita’s statement, BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra said conducting cheap politics on every problem had become a habit of BJP Odisha.
“Based on the Head of the Odisha Minister’s Chief, the Indian government has released the funds.
It would be better if Odisha leaders BJP had done their homework before talking to the media in this matter and embarrassing themselves,” said Patra.
The center released Rs 875 Crore on Thursday, three days after Naveen wrote to Modi.
Looking for the initial release of 1,088.72 crore against payment of wages and RS 710.81 Crore as a component of the material.
He said payment of timely wage was a fundamental guarantee below MGNREGA.