- DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Pradesh Congress
Committee (NPCC) has called for immediate and decisive action from the
government following allegations of illegal deductions from Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) funds by the state's Rural
Development Department.
- In a press release issued on Sunday, the party stated that
recent public revelations, particularly “the damning exposé” done by the
Kacharigaon (Phevima) Village Council on June 7, have once again highlighted a
“disturbing, long-standing pattern in the state, where significant portions of
MGNREGA funds, which are intended for the welfare of the rural populace, are
allegedly being extorted by officials from the RD Department.”
Related: Kacharigaon (Phevima) council refuses to pay 30% wage cut demand by RD department
- “This insidious practice of extortion, reportedly demanded
as mandatory ‘commissions’ or ‘cuts’, has become an entrenched part of the
department throughout Nagaland. It is but a natural extension of the
deep-rooted culture of corruption perpetuated by the government in the state,”
it stated.
- While condemning the RD Department for “presiding over this
deplorable abuse of power”, it called upon the minister for RD and the state
government to “take immediate and decisive action to put an end to this rampant
corruption and ensure that those involved are thoroughly identified and
penalised in accordance with the law of the land.”
