Gandhinagar: From the time Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been implemented, a number of scams have been reported from time to time. And this time, the scheme is again in news for a wrong reason. Part of MGNREGA, a man of Bodeli Tehsil in Chhota Udepur district, who died four years back was issued a job card and payment was made to his account. This was informed by local MLA Mohansinh Rathwa in the Gujarat state Assembly.
According to Mohansinh Rathwa, several irregularities in his constituency Chotta Udepur has been reported. Giving further details, he said that in the records of MGNREGA, many of the payments have been made even to minors and to those who are employed in the government sector.
He added that there was a case of Bodeli in which a man who died four years ago was disbursed payment. “Likewise, a primary school teacher Malsinh Rathawa was given Rs 1,120 under the scheme. Ashwin Rathwa who is working in GEB was also paid Rs 1,120. Such are the incidents of the ghost beneficiaries of the scheme,” he informed.
He also added that there are many job cards issued to individuals who are even government employees. “The height of the scam is that even 13-year-old and 15-year-old kids have been shown as the beneficiaries and payment of Rs 1,120 have been deposited to their accounts. The corruption level doesn’t end here, payment of Rs 19 lakh was made for lake desilting in Kohari village, where there was no work. Similarly, in Chundeli village of Bodeli block, Sarpanch himself has a job card. Moreover, paver blocks were laid in an imaginary pocket,” the legislator added in the state assembly.
Moreover, Gujarat Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Transport RC Faldu acknowledged the irregularities ans said the state has found some irregularities in the payment and actions have been taken in 2020, and some of the employees were terminated as well.
(With inputs from IANS)