Sarpanches, panchayat secretaries and local activists in Shivpuri, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Dhar and Jhabua districts reportedly told the researchers that money was released only when the authorities concerned received their pound of flesh. Transparency safeguards inbuilt in the scheme are virtually non- existent in Madhya Pradesh, he alleged, adding that not a single villager, labourer or gram panchayat functionary in the sample villages had heard of social audits.

Despite several attempts state Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Rustam Singh was not available for comments. A senior bureaucrat, who was associated with the department till recently, dismissed the report saying: “It’s a big scheme, there may be some irregularities. Action will follow a proper channel.”