Lucknow: Union Minister Jairam Ramesh's letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati slamming the alleged irregularities in implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme in her state has snowballed into a major controversy. First, Ms Mayawati called the letter "politically motivated", and now, an NGO mentioned by Jairam in his letter has contradicted his claim, saying it never complained against the BSP chief's government.
In the letter written earlier this week, Mr Ramesh accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of the scheme. "I write to you in great anguish regarding the implementation of MG-NREGA in the state of Uttar Pradesh," Mr Ramesh said, adding, "It is true that a network of civil society organizations working through Nari Sanghs has been able to bring about a greater awareness of the rights of MG-NREGA workers. I have myself interacted with one such organization called Vanangana which is active in Chitrakoot and Banda. But the overall feedback that we have so far reveals that the implementation of MG-NREGA in Uttar Pradesh has been far from satisfactory."
But the NGO named by Mr Ramesh has now sought to distance itself from the "political battle" saying it never filed any complaint against the state government for irregularities. Speaking to NDTV, Madhvi Kuckreja, the founder member of Vananagana, said, "It was completely unnecessary for Jairam Ramesh to name a single NGO in his letter to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister."
"It's a waste of time to bring a social organisation into a political battle. We would like to distance ourselves from any demand for a CBI probe. We are doing our work quietly. The scheme should not get caught in a political crossfire like this as it affects the people who it is benefiting,"
In his letter, Mr Ramesh pointed out that as many as 22 reports of National Level Monitors (NLMs), which brought out serious violations of funds, were pending for action from the state government. But the Chief Minister has rejected theses allegations. In a letter written to the Prime Minister on Friday, Ms Mayawati also accused Mr Ramesh of having a pre-conceived agenda and arriving at conclusions without taking cognisance of steps taken by her government.
"The minister, through his letter, attempted to score political points by alleging misuse of funds by the UP. The letter was released to the media much before it was received here confirming the intentions of the minister," she wrote.
"It would be appropriate, if the minister is apprised of the Centre-state fiscal arrangements provided in our Constitution. It is obvious that Ramesh has a pre-conceived agenda and has arrived at the conclusions without taking any cognisance of the steps taken by state government," she added.
In the letter written earlier this week, Mr Ramesh accused the Mayawati government of "continuing inaction" in instances of "grave irregularities" in the implementation of the scheme. "I write to you in great anguish regarding the implementation of MG-NREGA in the state of Uttar Pradesh," Mr Ramesh said, adding, "It is true that a network of civil society organizations working through Nari Sanghs has been able to bring about a greater awareness of the rights of MG-NREGA workers. I have myself interacted with one such organization called Vanangana which is active in Chitrakoot and Banda. But the overall feedback that we have so far reveals that the implementation of MG-NREGA in Uttar Pradesh has been far from satisfactory."
But the NGO named by Mr Ramesh has now sought to distance itself from the "political battle" saying it never filed any complaint against the state government for irregularities. Speaking to NDTV, Madhvi Kuckreja, the founder member of Vananagana, said, "It was completely unnecessary for Jairam Ramesh to name a single NGO in his letter to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister."
"It's a waste of time to bring a social organisation into a political battle. We would like to distance ourselves from any demand for a CBI probe. We are doing our work quietly. The scheme should not get caught in a political crossfire like this as it affects the people who it is benefiting,"
In his letter, Mr Ramesh pointed out that as many as 22 reports of National Level Monitors (NLMs), which brought out serious violations of funds, were pending for action from the state government. But the Chief Minister has rejected theses allegations. In a letter written to the Prime Minister on Friday, Ms Mayawati also accused Mr Ramesh of having a pre-conceived agenda and arriving at conclusions without taking cognisance of steps taken by her government.
"The minister, through his letter, attempted to score political points by alleging misuse of funds by the UP. The letter was released to the media much before it was received here confirming the intentions of the minister," she wrote.
"It would be appropriate, if the minister is apprised of the Centre-state fiscal arrangements provided in our Constitution. It is obvious that Ramesh has a pre-conceived agenda and has arrived at the conclusions without taking any cognisance of the steps taken by state government," she added.
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