| MGNREGS scam: 36000 beneficiaries deleted | | Many were fake, duplicate or dead persons; Doda tops the list | | Early Times Report
Jammu, July 19: The officials of Rural Development Department (RDD), in league with some locals, had been siphoning off large amount of public money allotted under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by allotting works to fake beneficiaries.
According to details available, the scandal was detected by government, and finally around 36000 beneficiaries were deleted. Most of them were found to be either fake, or having duplicate job cards, or deceased persons.
Doda district has topped the list with maximum number of fake beneficiaries. A total of 11991 beneficiaries were deleted from Doda district, whereas district Kupwara is at second slot with 3564 fake beneficiaries.
Poonch district had 2848 fake beneficiaries, Budgam 1552, Baramulla 1468, Ganderbal 1693, Jammu 1846, Kathua 1781, Pulwama 1470, Rajouri 1247, and Reasi 1891.
The district Kishtwar had no fake beneficiary under MGNREGA while Ramban had four cases. The remaining districts of the state have between 100-1000 fake beneficiaries.
Sources in RDD informed that time and again it was found that people who were actually dead were shown beneficiaries and money on their names was drawn by the Panchayat level officers with active connivance of the field staff of the department.
"Hence, huge public money was siphoned off by the RDD officials and public representatives and the benefit of the scheme was not reaching to the deserving people", the sources said.
"Though the fake beneficiaries have been deleted, action must also be taken against the officials as well as people involved in the pilferage of public exchequer," they added. |
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