CHANDIGARH: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Scheduled Caste Morcha Punjab vice-president Paramjit Singh Kainth on Friday welcomed Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s decision to order a high-level investigation into alleged misuse of MGNREGA funds in Punjab.
Kainth said that multiple cases of irregularities under the rural employment scheme have emerged in recent years, pointing to widespread manipulation of funds that, he alleged, could not have taken place without the involvement of political functionaries. He stated that corruption within the state’s Rural Development and Panchayat Departments, often aided by gram panchayats and officials, has severely affected employment prospects for poor families.
Listing the alleged malpractices, Kainth highlighted the creation of fake job cards, collusion with contractors, generation of false payment receipts, and even including ineligible or deceased individuals as beneficiaries. Such fraud, he said, has deprived genuine MGNREGA workers of their rightful wages and support, impacting some of the most vulnerable sections of society.
He expressed hope that the Centre’s probe would ensure accountability and help restore transparency in the implementation of the scheme across Punjab.
