Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 9: Expressing grave concern over the burgeoning liabilities in Rural Dev Deptt, particularly under MGNREGS and huge pendency of claims of poor labourers and Job Card holders working under the scheme, JKNPP Chairman and Former Minister Harsh Dev Singh today appealed to the Governor to constitute a high level SIT to probe the alleged malfunctioning of the said Deptt at the earliest so as to check and prevent further loot and plunder of funds meant for rural poor people.
He alleged that the RDD had earned the most dubious distinction of irregularities and embezzlements during the past 3 years with multifarious reports of omissions and commissions appearing in the media on regular basis. “With scams of gargantuan proportions having come to fore in almost all District of the State, the constitution of Special Investigation Teams to probe the plunder of funds at District and Block levels is imperative in the interest of accountability, transparency and fair play,” he said.
Harsh Dev Singh said that while enquiry committees had been constituted to probe the fraudulent practices in the said Deptt in the Districts of Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch, the huge scams in remaining Districts of Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Doda, Jammu, Kishtwar and Ramban besides all other Districts of Kashmir were also required to be probed with exemplary deterrent punishment to those found guilty. “While the well knit mafia in RDD has enriched their coffers in connivance with certain unscrupulous officers who too have become millionaires, the poor Job card holders and labours are forced to starvation due to non payment of their nominal wages and other claims for years,” he said and added that massive financial irregularities had deprived not only the poor Job card holders and labourers of their wages but cumulative liabilities amounting to approximately one thousand crores during the last three years from 2015 to 2018 had threatened financial stability.
Referring to the liability figures projected in the official website of Rural Dev Deptt, Singh revealed that these stood at Rs 36.99 crore for 2015-16, Rs 139.32 crore for 2016-17, Rs 634.05 crore for 2017-18 and Rs. 137.38 crore for 2018-19. He said that such liabilities had been created by the reckless officers of the RDD by circumventing the SOPS and stipulated norms for reasons best known.
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