MPs not ready for social audit of MPLADS: Jairam

The social audit has brought about transparency,and even Hazare agrees to it, he said,lauding the NREGS role in securing livelihoods of poor and vulnerable sections in rural India.

Faced with MPs complaints regarding alleged corruption in the implementation of rural job guarantee scheme NREGS,Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday faulted elected MPs for their intentions pointing that they are not ready to open their MPLAD Scheme expenditure to social audit.

Whenever there is criticism of MGNREGA in Parliament,I say if the same social audit was there for MPLADS then it would be good for the country. But they (MPs) are not ready for social audit of MPLADS, Ramesh said at a function organised by civil society organisations in the Capital.

He even sought to discount MPs complaints suggesting that it was part of their desire to exercise control over the expenditure under the NREGS in their areas. MPs want that all the works are conducted with their consent….Their intention is different, Ramesh said pointing to large number of questions on NREGS expenditure in Parliament.

Ramesh,in turn,invoked Anna Hazare to advocate social audit to ensure transparency in all kinds of government expenditure. The social audit has brought about transparency,and even Hazare agrees to it, he said,lauding the NREGS role in securing livelihoods of poor and vulnerable sections in rural India.

For Kolkata, the IMD has forecast mostly cloudy skies with light to moderate rain or thundershowers on most days through Panchami.

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