The party also demanded actions against the principal secretary of finance, principal secretary of rural development and accountant general of government of Manipur.
TFM Report
Alleging misappropriation of MGNREGA funds, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) demanded the BJP-led Manipur Government to provide a White Paper to the public about the non-release of the funds.
The MPCC on Monday held a press conference at Congress Bhawan, Imphal, on the non-release of Rs 485 crore of MGNREGA by the BJP government of Manipur, despite being released to the state exchequer by the union government.
Briefing media persons, Congress MLA and spokesperson K Meghachandra demanded the state government to reveal where the Rs 485 crore of central assistance for MGNREGA in Manipur has gone.
“Who took away the already released central fund of Rs 485,50,75,000 which was already transferred by Union Government to Manipur Government’s MGNREGA State Employment Guarantee Fund Account on March 28, 2021? Is not the non-release of the fund illegal and anti-public?”
Maintaining that there has been misappropriation of the fund, he contended that it is violation of the Rule 236 (1) of General Financial Rules. He demanded that actions should be taken against the principal secretary of finance, Government of Manipur; principal secretary of rural development, Government of Manipur and accountant general, Government of Manipur.
The BJP government in Manipur must initiate necessary actions against these officials because they can’t be let free since they know about the funds and its release and usage, he asserted.
Meghachandra further contended that since there has been no release of the fund to the beneficiaries within the stipulated three days of the release of the fund from the Union Government to Manipur Government, it tantamount and warrant to take actions against the officials.
He also demanded the government to reveal where has Rs 485 crores been utilised, since there has been no utilisation of the central assistance fund so far for the purpose of wages, materials and administrative components.
Has the said fund been allocated to other departments or other schemes by the state government, he asked adding, if so, it clearly shows that it is a misappropriation of the public fund meant only for MGNREGA.
Meghachandra also lamented over the non-payment of the honorarium for the last 17 months. It is akin to committing a sin, he added.
The Congress spokesperson also maintained that the scheme is the brainchild of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It has been lauded the world over for its design to generate employment across the rural areas of the country. It has been an immense help during the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.