Highlights
- 20% of the amount was spent during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The survey team will correct if any irregularities show up.
- Implementing several loopholes through direct benefit transfer (DBT).
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stated that the centre has spent approximately 5 lakh crore on MGNREGA scheme in the time span of eight years, out of which 20% of this amount was spent during the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking to reports in Kamareddy district of Telangana, she said the state was given Rs 20,000 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the past eight years.
"During the past eight years, Telangana received Rs 20,000 crore under MGNREGA. During the same period all over the country Rs 5 lakh crore has been spent, out of which more than 20 per cent was spent in 2020-21 during COVID-19 pandemic," she said while replying to a query.
Following the report, survey teams will be analyzing whether the sanctioned money is spent judiciously or not, or if any remark might reflect in the audit report. The survey team will correct if any irregularities show up, as allegations surfaced that survey teams are being sent to curtail the scheme.
During the UPA regime there were several loopholes in the scheme and the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi corrected them and is implementing it through direct benefit transfer (DBT), she further said. The state of Telangana, which was surplus in producing revenue has now gone into revenue deficit, slamming the TRS government in Telangana over alleged rising debt, farmers' distress and other issues, added the Union Finance Minister.
Nirmala Sitharaman also claimed that K Chandrashekar Rao’s government was taking loans without showing them in the budget and without informing the state assembly. Along with this, she accused the TRS government of changing the names of central schemes and projecting them as the state's schemes. Farmers' debt is rampant in the state and it is ranked fourth in farmers' suicides, she further added.
On Thursday, she attended the meeting of district office-bearers, mandal presidents and karyakartas of Zaheerabad Parliamentary Constituency at Kamareddy town as part of 'Lok Sabha Pravas Yojana'.
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