NREGS scam: CBI to question 5 UP government officials

The CBI, probing the alleged irregularities in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Uttar Pradesh, is preparing to examine five senior officials of the revenue department of the state government in connection with the case.

Sources said, “The agency will soon call them (officials) for questioning and their statements will also be recorded by the CBI sleuths.” The officials, who will be called for examination, are posted in districts like Gonda, Balrampur and Sonbhadra in UP, they added. The agency will also seek some specific documents from these officials. The agency has already completed scrutiny of certain documents related to the use of MGNREGS funds in seven districts — Balrampur, Gonda, Mahoba, Sonbhadra, Sant Kabir Nagar, Mirzapur and Kushinagar.

The CBI, which registered seven FIRs to probe the alleged irregularities, is also preparing to call a few state-level politicians for clarification, sources said. Expressing displeasure over corruption in the implementation of Centrally-sponsored scheme, a Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court had directed the CBI to probe the allegations of financial irregularities in the use of MGNREGS funds in seven districts in the state. The agency has been asked to probe anomalies between 2007-10 when the state was under the BSP rule.

The court had also directed the agency to conduct a inquiry if it finds evidence of corruption in other districts during investigations. The court directed for submission of the probe’s progress report in seven districts after every three months. The court had observed, “Material on record, prima facie, reveals startling facts with regard to misappropriation of funds allocated under the MNREGA right from the lowest echelon of the elected representatives, pradhans, gram sabha members to the higher bureaucracy in a well-netted collusive manner.”