Union rural development minister CP Joshi today accused Bihar's NDA government of 'failing' to utilise the funds allocated by his ministry for various centrally-sponsored schemes, and said the state government should look into charges of corruption in implementing NREGA.
Joshi, on a campaign trail to mobilise votes for the Congress nominees contesting the bypolls in 18 Assembly seats in Bihar, said a whopping Rs 8,000 crore under various schemes under his ministry, besides NREGA, was lying unspent with the Bihar government. His ministry had released a sum of Rs1300 crore under NREGA to the state "but unfortunately, the amount is yet to come to use in the drought-hit Bihar," he said.
On large-scale irregularities in implementation of NREGA, the union minister said it was within the state's domain. "Bihar government should look into these complaints and bring the amount to fruitful use."
Joshi said similar complaints of irregularities poured in from states. "It is for the state government to put a curb on misuse and irregularities in execution of the scheme," he said.
Joshi also alleged that the state government was arranging jobs for 35 days on an average against the target of 100 days for each of the beneficiaries in the NREGA. The minister also criticised the state government for its alleged failure to spend the money it had received from the Centre for construction of one lakh houses under the Indira Awas Yojana.
When his attention was drawn to the state government's demand for central package for the flood-and-drought-hit people in Bihar, Joshi said the state government should have used the amount lying with it first, instead of waiting for the grants.
Around Rs 780 crore of the Calamity Relief Fund with the state government could also come in handy for carrying relief in the affected areas, he said.
Turning to his party's poll prospects in Bihar, Joshi said his party was on the path of revival in the state "and I hope that it will fare well in the bye-elections. "The party will fare far better this time and will be able to form the government on its own after the assembly polls due towards the end of next year," Joshi claimed.
