Centre flays Bihar Govt for 'poor' show in NREGA

Centres claims that in 13 districts, the state government have not even started any work.

The Centre on Sunday lashed out at the Bihar Government for its "poor" performance in the rural job guarantee scheme and accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of "playing fraud" and misleading the masses.

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"So far as performance under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is concerned, Bihar's position is last," Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said in New Delhi.

He claimed that the NDA-ruled state had not shown any interest in the successful implementation of the ambitious project of the UPA Government to provide 100 days of employment to each rural household. "The Chief Minister has played fraud and misled the people," he said.

"Besides, the Chief Minister has not even cared to respond to the Ministry's letters. We have sent at least 50 letters and what we have got is only acknowledgement and nothing else," Singh said.

He said that in 13 districts, the state government had not even started any work.

The minister said Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were doing well in the flagship programme of the Centre.

Singh said that he would seek more budgetary allocation in the next financial year to generate more employment and eradicate poverty from the country.