The Bihar government had discriminated against its own people by poorly implementing central flagship programmes, including MNREGA, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister CP Joshi alleged on Monday.
The state government owed an explanation to the people why central flagship programmes like MNREGA were poorly implemented and its failure to utilise central funds under these schemes, Joshi told reporters in Patna.
Quoting statistics, Joshi said that the Centre had given Rs 2358 crore in funds to Bihar under MNREGA in 2009-10, but the state government could only utilise Rs 1816 crore while it utilised only Rs 2996 crore under the Indira Avas Yojana against Rs 4484 crore during the same period.
Similarly, under the Swarnjayanti Rojgar Yojana (SRY), the state government could spend only Rs 305 crore against Rs 506 crore in 2009-10, while under the scheme for drinking water the NDA government could spend only Rs 284 crore against Rs 692 crore, the minister said.
He also sought an explanation why there were only 28 mandays under the rural people under MNREGA in the state against 54 days in the rest of the country.
Stating that the UPA government had implemented a slew of programmes for rural development and welfare measures of the poor people since 2004, Joshi said that it was for the political masters in the state to execute them.
{{/usCountry}}Stating that the UPA government had implemented a slew of programmes for rural development and welfare measures of the poor people since 2004, Joshi said that it was for the political masters in the state to execute them.
{{/usCountry}}He said that the chief minister's own coalition partner, the BJP government in Karnataka had performed exceedingly well in implementation of MNREGA since 2007.
The implementation of MNREGA in Karnataka has been so successful that the Centre has been making an increased allocation to the state of Rs 2500 this fiscal as against the provision of Rs 250 crores in 2007, he said.
On the state government's demand for a special status in view of economic backwardness, he said that if it was so then central schemes should have been implemented.