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Dimapur, Aug. 5 (EMN): Responding to the statement of 21 erstwhile NPF legislators who have merged with NDPP, president of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), K Therie, said that he has no difficulty in tendering apology but admitted that he has no evidence because of ‘blank cheque system.’
However, he alleged that some had complained of getting only INR 3 crore, while the others were given INR 5 crore.
Therie claimed that misuse of MGNREGA funds was not new saying, ‘It is not only material component that is misused but even the wages component is misused.’
He alleged that after induction, MGNREGA beneficiaries have never received full 100 days wages nor the material components adding there was wrong interpretation of convergence fund.
“The meaning of convergence as understood in the training when the scheme was launched by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the then Prime Minister, was that other department’s development funds can be converted into MGNREGA fund and number of days’ wages can be increased to more than 100 days. However in Nagaland, wages fund are converted into special development activities and MLAs distributing these funds,” Therie alleged.
Citing an instance of 2020-2021 fund allocation where INR 483.82 lakh MGNREGA funds were released to the state, Therie alleged that some villages received just seven days wages during 2021-2022. According to his estimate, seven days wage would be hardly account for INR 60 crores, while the remaining amount was siphoned off.
“Only those with unknown sources of income are thriving in the state. They are all money laundering cases. Corruption is rampant for the last 20 years. I am praying for Nagaland to remain true Christians, Therie added.