Lok Sabha Question No. 1129 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-13
Subject: Corruption in MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sukanta Majumdar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1129

ANSWERED ON 13/12/2022

## CORRUPTION IN MGNREGS

## 1129.   DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has received multiple complaints of rampant corruption practices in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal;
- (b) if so, whether the Government has sent a team of senior officers to investigate the complaints;
- (c) if so, whether a large number of villages are found indulged in corruption in implementation of  MGNREGS in West Bengal including Balurghat;
- (d) if so, whether financial penalties were imposed on these corrupt village panchayats;
- (e) if so, the details thereof, district-wise;
- (f) whether the Government is considering to carry out investigation of all funds spent during the last ten years under MGNREGS in West Bengal; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof including the other corrective action proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)  to  (g):   Yes,  sir.  On  receipt  of  complaints  from  public  or  public  representative,  the complaints  are  either  gets  enquired  by  the  concerned  State  or  by  sending  Central  Team/ National  Level  Monitors  to  enquire  into  the  matter.  The  complaint  received  from  West Bengal  has  been  dealt  accordingly.  The  Government  of  India  has  sent  Central  Team  to investigate the matter. On receipt of the report of the Central Team, the State Government of West  Bengal  was  directed  to  submit  Action  Taken  Report.  State  Government  has  made recovery  and  has  taken  disciplinary/legal  proceedings  against  officials/functionaries  for embezzlement/misutilization  of  funds.   Balurghat  district  has  not  covered  by  the  Central Team. District wise recovery amount as well as steps taken by the State Government of West Bengal against officials/functionaries is at Annexure .

Annexure referred in reply to part (a) to (g) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1129 dated 13.12.2022.

## Sr. Action Taken

## No.

District wise recovery amount  as well as steps taken by the State Government of West Bengal against officials/functionaries

- 1 FIR Lodged

So far FIR have been Lodged against 9 supervisors and 4 Govt. employees

## 2 Show Cause Notice issued

Disciplinary proceedings, show  cause notice, evidence collection and framing of  article  of  charges  are  being  done  against  119  personnel,  out  of which  Articles of charge have been framed  against 16 persons and termination has been issued against 5 Supervisors.

3

## Recovery made

- 4 Disciplinary proceedings
- 5 Termination

|   Sl No. | District          | Amount Recovered (Rs.)   |
|----------|-------------------|--------------------------|
|        1 | Purba Medinipur   | 9,71,362                 |
|        2 | Bankura           | 3,63,170                 |
|        3 | Jhargarm          | 1,15,271                 |
|        4 | Dakshin Dinajpur  | 60,000                   |
|        5 | Pachim Medinipur  | 34,560                   |
|        6 | Nadia             | 6,390                    |
|        7 | Dakshin Dinajpur  | 19,12,595                |
|        8 | Alipurduar        | 3,16,242                 |
|        9 | South 24 Parganas | 2,83,231                 |
|       10 | Uttar Dinajpur    | 1,15,213                 |
|       11 | North 24 Parganas | 10,58,810                |

Schemes  where  splitting  of  estimate  was  done  have  been  identified  and action has been started against 37 such Engineers/Technical personnel in the State. To avoid splitting of schemes a detailed advisory / direction has been issued to DPCs vide Memo No. 1001 dated 14.7.22. Orientation programmes and meetings have been held for engineers and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA officials on this issue.

So far 57 supervisor and 3 Village Level Entrepreneurs terminated