Union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who was in the city on Sunday said funds may be stopped if state fails to curb corruption in various central development schemes.
Following reports of a three-year-old receiving remuneration in Kutch under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the central government will probe into corruption in implementation of the Act in Gujarat. This was informed by Union minister for rural development and panchayati raj, Vilasrao Deshmukh on Sunday.
Deshmukh also threatened to cut short Union government's fund if the state government fails to take appropriate action to stem the rot.
Leader of opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil had revealed that according to the information sought under Right to Information (RTI) Act, a three-year-old boy had been shown as beneficiary of MGNREGA in Kutch. He further said that the government register provides information about payment made to this minor.
Stating that the Union government will look into the matter, Deshmukh said, "We cannot directly approach the beneficiary. However, we can't be mere spectators to such wide-spread corruption."
Pointing out that it was the state government's responsibility to curb corruption, Deshmukh said, "It is the state government's responsibility to check corruption. If it fails, we don't have any other option but to stop releasing funds."
The Congress leader further said that although a monitoring committee has been formed in the state government under the chairmanship of the minister of rural development of the Gujarat government, the meeting of the committee has not been convened for three years.
Deshmukh asked, "If the committee monitors the work regularly in Maharashtra and Rajasthan, why is it not doing the same in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh?"
Stressing upon the need to strengthen panchayati raj, he also wanted Gram Sabha meetings to be regularly convened. "Holding Gram Sabha meetings regularly can check corruption by middlemen. He further said, "Also, money should reach its true beneficiaries."
The Union minister also alleged that the state government has failed to distribute funds released by the central government under various schemes. He said that in 2010-11, the central government released a total of Rs1,268 crore but the Gujarat government has distributed only Rs832 crore. He said that the figures are not arbitrary, but based on the information provided by the state government. "Injustice is a good topic for public lecture but we are putting facts and figures before the public," he said.
When asked about lathi-charge on Baba Ramdev's followers in Delhi and about Congress leader Digvijay Singh's comment on Baba Ramdev terming him 'cheat', he refused to comment on the issue.
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