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Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Conduct SIT probe in MGNREGA, Nal se Jal schemes, remove minister Khabad from post': Congress writes to Gujarat governor
DEMANDING 'an impartial investigation into the state-wide corruption in MGNREGA and Nal Se Jal' schemes, besides removal of Minister Bachubhai Khabad from his post, Leader of Congress Legislative Party Amit Chavda submitted a written representation to Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat on Friday. Stating that the 'state government's will to eradicate corruption seems to be lacking', Chavda, who was accompanied by Congress MLAs Kantibhai Kharadi, Jignesh Mevani, Shailesh Parmar, Lalit Vasoya and Amrutji Thakor, along with other party leaders, stated in the letter that there is an urgent need for the Governor's intervention. 'An SIT (Special Investigation Team) should be formed with people holding judicial positions to conduct an impartial investigation into the widespread scam of crores in the MGNREGA and Nal se Jal schemes across the state. Strict action should be taken against those involved in this scam. Therefore, it is requested to order immediate and appropriate action to prevent the open loot of public tax money to eradicate corruption,' the demand stated. Chavda stated, 'The Congress-led UPA government enacted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005, ensuring 100 days of employment per year. But for the last few years, the MGNREGA law in Gujarat has become (a means) to fill the coffers of office-bearers and officials with connivance of the government machinery… After our repeated written representations, question-answer sessions and debates in the assembly besides protests, the government conducted an investigation into corruption in a few villages.' The Congress has been repeatedly alleging corruption in the MGNREGA scheme for the last few weeks. 'In the investigation of Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas in Dahod district, corruption worth more than Rs 100 crore has been revealed. The direct involvement of the family of state government minister Khabad has been revealed. Even though it has been many days since the corruption came to light…, the state government is not removing him from the cabinet. By misusing his position and power, he is misleading the investigation and protecting his accomplices,' stated the letter. A few weeks ago, two sons of Khabad, Balvantsinh and Kiran, were arrested for alleged irregularity under the MGNREGA. Khabad is the Minister of State for Panchayat in Gujarat government. 'In the remaining talukas of Dahod district, including Fatepura, Sanjeli, Jhalod, and Singvad, corruption worth crores has also taken place in MGNREGA. Bills have been paid repeatedly without doing work on the spot or (payment has been made) to ghost job cards. But despite complaints and evidence being given, no investigation has been done till date,' the letter submitted to the Governor stated. The Congress leaders alleged similar corruption in 26 villages of Jambughoda taluka in Panchmahal. 'Not only in Dahod, Panchmahal, Narmada and Bharuch, in the entire Gujarat, corruption scam worth crores of rupees is going on with the connivance of cabinet members and senior officials in Gandhinagar by creating a systematic network in the MGNREGA scheme. There is no will in the government to stop corruption. Therefore, your intervention is urgently needed and an SIT of persons sitting on judicial and constitutional positions should be formed to investigate the corruption in MGNREGA in the entire state,' the letter addressed to the Governor stated. Chavda has also alleged 'scam worth crores of rupees' in the 'Nal Se Jal' scheme in the state. 'Even after big announcements that the people of Gujarat will get 'Nal Se Jal' (water supply through taps) in every house, the Water Supply Department has been benefiting from the budget of crores of rupees from the tax money of the people. Despite complaints with evidence from many districts across Gujarat, no proper investigation or strict action has taken place with regard to corruption in the scheme. To protect the leaders and senior government officials, the government is taking action against lower-ranking officials,' he alleged in the statement.
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Indian Express
Mahisagar: Govt officer among 12 booked in Rs 123.44 crore ‘scam'
The Vadodara Zone CID Crime on Monday booked a government officer and 11 outsourced staff employed under the Nal Se Jal scheme in connection with an alleged embezzlement of Rs 123.22 crore from the funds meant for 620 villages of Mahisagar district. The FIR, lodged on the basis of a complaint by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO), Mahisagar district Unit Manager Girish Agola, states that the 12 accused 'connived and hatched a criminal conspiracy to defraud the government by creating bogus documents and embezzling Rs 123.44 crore for their personal gain.' The FIR states the period of crime as being between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. The FIR states that, 'money allocated by the state government for the purpose of drinking water pipelines, wells, and tubewell facilities in about 620 villages under the Nal se Jal scheme for the people of Mahisagar district was not utilized for the purpose, instead was siphoned off from the treasury by producing forged bills… despite being civil servants and some being assigned the duty as civil servants, the accused, in collusion with each other have indulged in criminal breach of trust and embezzlement from the government funds…' 'The accused also bypassed the authorised agencies to award work to agencies associated with familiar persons, partners and other such individuals, with the intention of mutual benefit..' stated the FIR. Agola told The Indian Express that the accused had forged invoices and prepared false documents, stating that the works had been completed for a bigger number of beneficiaries, when the same was not implemented on the ground. 'The forged bills were for an area where the works were not undertaken… In some places, instead of the 5-km stretch that they have laid the pipeline for, the forged bills have claimed payment for laying pipelines in an area of about 12 km…'Agola said. The accused include former Unit Manager AG Rajpara, District Coordinator SR Patel, in-charge district coordinator Amit Patel, Assistant Technical Managers Mauleshkumar Hingu, Karamvirsinh Sisodia, Surpalsinh Baria, and Vanrajsinh Sodha Parmar as well as Assistant Technical staff Dashrath Parmar, Parthkumar Patel and Bhavikkumar Prajapati, along with Assistant Mechanical Alpeshkumar Parmar. Agola told this newspaper that except Parthkumar Patel, all other accused have already been suspended. The FIR also comes over a year after Agola had black-listed and debarred 27 contractors of the project in Mahisagar from undertaking the work as they 'did not follow the process of tender' and were accused of irregularities in June 2024. Agola said, 'The officers accused in this FIR were also involved in the irregularity related to the agencies and contractors taken on board to complete the works without following the tendering process… After (WASMO), we debarred them, they approached the court and sought relief… WASMO had to revoke the debarring… These accused officials have connived with some of the contractors and payments have been made from the government funds towards the forged bills while work has not been completed on the ground.' The Nal Se Jal scheme irregularity comes just two months after the Dahod district police arrested 14 people for alleged irregularities in MGNREGA, where government officials have been accused of allegedly conspiring with the unauthorised agencies in the Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur taluka of the district to embezzle funds of Rs 70 crore by producing forged bills for incomplete tasks. Sons of Gujarat Minister Bachubhai Khabad — Balvantsinh and Kiran — have been arrested in two offences each, in the Dahod case.
