Punjab Rural Development Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond highlights delay in release of funds worth Rs. 1600 crore as flood-relief assistance
Jalandhar News: Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Thursday strongly appealed to Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to immediately release Rs. 250 crore pending with the Central Government under the MGNREGA scheme. Speaking at a press conference at the District Administrative Complex after a review meeting with the Union Minister, Mr. Sond said the withheld funds under material component had severely hampered the effective implementation of this crucial rural employment programme in Punjab.
Calling for wage parity, the Cabinet Minister urged the Centre Minister to revise the wages of masons working under MGNREGA. He pointed out that while masons in Haryana receive Rs. 400 per day, those in Punjab are paid only Rs. 346. “With inflation rising and labour rates increasing, it is extremely difficult to get skilled masons at such a low wage. The discrimination between the two neighbouring states must end,” he asserted.
Highlighting Punjab’s initiative to enhance transparency and curb corruption, Mr. Sond informed that the state has become the first in India to launch a face-recognition and geo-tagging–based attendance system for MGNREGA workers. The pilot project, currently underway in Fatehgarh Sahib, will soon be expanded to all 23 districts.
He said the Punjab Government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has launched an extensive crackdown on corruption, leading to the suspension of 23 officials linked to MGNREGA irregularities during previous regimes.
The state has also recovered Rs. 2 crore from officials involved in corrupt practices. Mr. Sond further urged the Union Government to release Rs. 1,600 crore in pending flood-relief funds announced earlier as assistance for damage caused by heavy rains. “Despite repeated reminders, not a single rupee has been released. This reflects the step-motherly treatment meted out to Punjab by the BJP-led Central Government,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Sond briefed the Union Minister about ongoing Punjab Government initiatives, including the upcoming construction of over 3,000 playgrounds and construction of over more than 2,800 new anganwadi centres across the state. He reiterated that these projects will give a major impetus to socio-economic growth in rural Punjab.
