Chennai: Even as the DMK upped the ante against the BJP-led central govt demanding release of MGNREGS funds, state BJP president K Annamalai said Tamil Nadu had received the highest quantum of funds for the scheme. He also alleged that there were largescale irregularities in the scheme in TN.
Senior DMK leaders, ministers and district secretaries held simultaneous press meets across the state on Sunday accusing the BJP govt of not allocating funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGS).
After National Education Policy, Hindi imposition and delimitation, DMK has been mounting an attack on BJP over non-allocation of funds for the rural job scheme for the past few days.
State law minister S Regupathy told reporters in Pudukkottai that wages to MGNREGS workers are pending for five months.
“Among all the states, TN has effectively implemented MGNREGS. However, the funds have not been released,” Regupathy said.
Salem MP T M Selvaganapathy said rural women were worst affected because of the Centre’s decision to withhold funds as they form the major workforce under MGNREGS. “In Tamil Nadu, approximately 91 lakh women are part of MGNREGS, constituting 86% of total workforce. This includes 26 per cent from scheduled castes and more than one lakh with disabilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Annamalai said TN received the highest funds among states.
“Tamil Nadu has received a historically high allocation of 39,339 crores in the last four years under MGNREGS,” he said in a tweet. He said states with bigger rural populations had received lesser funds than TN.
He then charged that there were largescale irregularities in the scheme in TN. He said MGNREGS wages were being directed to people who participate in DMK public meetings and those who did not turn up to work. He also released the job card number of a few purported MGNREGS workers who were paid wages despite being absent in Nanjai Gobi panchayat in Erode district.
“Your party has looted funds that were meant for our hardworking people. Would you issue consent to the CBI to investigate the rampant corruption in the scheme in Tamil Nadu,” he asked Stalin.