MNREGA: NPF alleges discrepancy in fund distribution

Dimapur, April 12 (EMN): The opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) has once again cried foul at the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government – alleging it of ‘depriving villagers their due share of funds from the centre’. In a press release issued on Thursday, the NPF claimed that during the tenure of its chief minister, TR Zeliang, the Nagaland government had “ensured the release of INR 285 cr. under MNREGA”. The money was, however, not released to the village development boards (VDBs) due to the imposition of the election model code of conduct, it claimed. The PDA government, it stated, had recently released INR 140 cr. to the VDBs ‘out of the total amount of INR 285 cr.’ “From the present release, Dimapur district has been allocated Rs. 13,24,11,351 out of which the normal total allocation for VDB, Nagarjan (Kuda) village is Rs. 10,73,800 for implementation of VDB schemes under MNREGA. But apart from this, the principal secretary, Rural development through his own discretion has allocated an additional amount of Rs. 1, 45,00,000 to his own village, Nagarjan (Kuda) village taking the total amount to Rs. 1, 55,71,800,” the party claimed. Calling it a ‘clear-cut case of favouritism, nepotism, and corruption’, the NPF wondered who delegated financial power to the principal secretary to allocate such ‘huge amount’ to a single village. “And if this much is given to a single village what will be the fate of more than 200 villages in Dimapur district?” it asked.