Rs 935 cr misappropriated in MGNREGA schemes over last 4 years: Congress

New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI):
The Congress on Saturday alleged that Rs 935 crore had been misappropriated in MGNREGA schemes over the last four years and said the government must be held accountable for failing to check corruption. The party also demanded that the government restore the four per cent quota for differently-abled persons in police forces.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said a media report, which assessed publicly available information of the Rural Development Ministry, revealed that Rs 935 crore was misappropriated in schemes under the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) over the last four years. These numbers are the outcome of audits done by social audit units under the Rural Development Department of the Ministry of Rural Development, he told a press conference.
Khera said the significant outcome of the social audit unit was that the primary type of misappropriation in most cases was “financial misappropriation” which includes and is not limited to bribery, payments to non-existent persons and to vendors at inflated procurement prices.
He said of the “whopping” Rs 935 crore misappropriated, only Rs 12.5 crore, which is 1.34 of the misappropriated amount, stands recovered. The very fact that misappropriations has been happening is a testament to the lack of accountability and due diligence by the Narendra Modi government, the Congress leader alleged.
“The Congress party demands that the government of India is held accountable for the misappropriations in the MNREGA scheme and ensures that social audit is undertaken as per the provisions of the MGNREGA,” Khera said.

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