Narendra Modi wants parliamentary probe to probe corruption in national employment guarantee scheme

Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi today demanded setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe allegations of corruption in implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.

"I raised the issue before the Prime Minister to set up a JPC to probe corruption in MGNREGA across the states. This should be given a serious thought," he told reporters after attending a meeting of the National Development Council here.

Modi said as per a Planning Commission document, the UPA's flagship scheme has become a "den of corruption".

"New techniques of corruption are being used," he said adding that the prime minister heads the Planning Commission and he should take this suggestion seriously.

Since the name of Mahatma Gandhi was associated with the scheme now, the issue of corruption becomes more relevant, he said. The Gujarat Chief Minister also suggested setting up of an expert committee to work out modalities of the "next generation MGNREGA".

He said people who work on MGNREGA schemes should be given more rights for their empowerment.

"If somebody digs a pond or well, he should be given the right to sell the fish and should be able to collect charges if its water is used by others," he added.

To a question on the Prime Minister's assurance to bring down prices, he said, "such statements full of hope are being given for the past two years but no success has been achieved. The track record (of the UPA government) has put a question mark on the statement."