Kolkata: The leader of opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday wrote to Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, demanding a probe by the CBI or equivalent central agency into the ‘irregularities’ relating to rural job creation under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state.
In the letter, a copy of which has been accessed by IANS, Adhikari has alleged that the state government is resorting to “innovative, malicious and fake” data creation in order to claim “false employment generation” in rural Bengal.
He also said that “fake data creation” is being done to deceive the people of the state before the panchayat elections scheduled next year.
Adhikari also alleged that the state government is trying to mislead the Centre by providing wrong information to seek financial assistance.
The BJP leader also referred to a recent circular issued by Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi directing all departments to engage “only the unskilled labourers under MGNREGA” during the execution of the scheme.
The circular stressed upon the need to enter data of job card holders in a particular portal of the state government.
“What seems peculiar about this circular is that the engagement of job card holders under the MGNREGA scheme is the secondary objective. The primary objective seems to be data entry of such engagements,” Adhikari’s wrote to the Union minister.
Claiming that the “so called employments” are mostly fake, Adhikari claimed that the administration will not be able to provide work orders or tender details on these counts to tally such employments.
“I hope you will consider the matter urgently and take necessary steps to get the whole matter investigated by the CBI or any other appropriate central agency, so that this scam is unearthed and the perpetrators, conspirators and executors are brought to justice,” Adhikari’s letter concluded.
On Monday, Adhikari also shot a separate letter to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, seeking central invention to tackle the dengue situation in West Bengal, which has reportedly reached an alarming stage.
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