Orissa MNREGA funds: SC orders CBI probe

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged corruption in utilisation of Central funds by six districts of Orissa for the rural job guarantee scheme under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S H Kapadia and justices K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar directed the CBI to conduct the probe on the basis of the survey reports provided by the petitioner, CAG report and the National Institute of Rural Development.

The alleged irregularities have been detected in the districts of Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada, Bhawanipatna, Koraput and Malakangiri.

The bench asked the CBI to conduct a free and fair investigation expeditiously and place its first report within six months.

The CBI, after its probe, will spell out the offences likely to be made against the officials, it said.

The court also issued notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on allegations of largescale irregularities in the implementation

of the scheme and asked them to respond within six weeks.

The court passed its order on a public interest litigation filed by Centre for Environment and Food Security, which had conducted a survey that found alleged irregularities in implementation of the scheme.

The NGO had alleged irregularity in disbursement of MNREGA funds meant for implementation of its rural job guarantee scheme.

The NGO had submitted that as per the reports, there was misappropriation of funds between 53 per cent to 88 per cent in districts of Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Naurangpur, Bolangir, Rayagada, Malakangiri and Koraput.

On December 16, the apex court, while hearing the PIL rapped both the Union and the state governments for their failure in properly executing the rural job guarantee scheme.