A flustered Chief Minister Mayawati lost no time in ordering that anybody taking bribe in NREGS implementation would be punished. She also announced that work done under this scheme would be subjected to third party inspection.

Mayawati made it clear she would not tolerate bungling in NREGS and her government would ensure that the poor is benefited by the scheme.

AICC general secretary and incharge of UP affairs Mr. Digvijay Singh while addressing a meeting of the Congress cell for NREGS in Lucknow, said that he had received information on large-scale corruption in implementation of this prestigious scheme.

Mr. Sanjay Dixit, chairman of the Congress cell for proper implementation of NREGS, said that officials of 10 districts in UP should be sent to jail for their involvement in the bugling.

Mr. Dixit identified the districts where officers were found to be involved in corruption. The districts are: Sultanpur, Mathura, Chitrakoot, Gonda, Balramput, Unnao, Mahoba, Banda, Sidharthnagar, and Kanpur Dehat.

The Congress leader charged that there was clear violation of rules and norms in Chitrakoot, Mathura and Sultanpur where several crores were given to UP Sahkari Nirman and Vikas Sangh; and advance was also allegedly obtained from this firm.

The state government had blacklisted this particular firm along with others. But despite that payment was made and advance obtained this year, too.

Giving details of the bungling, Mr. Dixit said that toys worth Rs 1 crore were purchased in Gonda while in Balrampur an amount of Rs 50 lakh was spent on the printing of calendars.

As if this was not enough, digital camera and other equipment were purchased in 972 panchayats of Unnao and 700 gram panchayats of Chitrakoot reportedly in violation of all rules and norms.

So much so, in Banda district, Rs 2 crore was spent on purchase of chairs and tables alone; and in Kanpur district, Rs 1.50 crore was spent on purchasing hybrid seeds while in Auraiyya district, Rs 50 lakh was spent on purchase of tree-guards.

In Kushinagar also, rules were violated and purchases amounting to several crores of rupees made. Similar reports were also received from other districts like Maharajganj and Kanpur Dehat where crores of rupees were paid to NGOs.

Sanjay Dixit added that in Sitapur also, lakhs of rupees were withdrawn through bogus papers.

He told IPA that the Congress party would soon launch a state-wide agitation seeking a high-level inquiry into the misuse of funds worth crores of rupees. (IPA)