Farmers see scam in job scheme fund use

Farmers in Sivaganga district have alleged that funds to the tune of Rs 8 lakh was misappropriated under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in Vengalur panchayat in Devakottai taluk. Villagers alleged that a panchayat clerk had siphoned off the money allotted for desilting a tank, a key source of water for agriculture in the locality. Based on a report on the alleged scam, the project officer of the district rural development agency has ordered a probe.

Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association A R K Manickam said that the scam came to light when they verified the records of the panchayat.

"The records revealed that a sum of Rs 8 lakh has been allotted and spent for desilting the tank. But the tank was divided into two parts and only a small portion on the northern side was desilted though records stated that the entire tank was desilted,” Manickam told TOI. Villagers were under the impression that the desilting work was yet to be done.

A Muthiah and S Kalimuthu, residents of Vengalur ,said that their village was predominantly agrarian with about 1000 acres under paddy cultivation. Hence, it was important that the tanks were in good condition. They alleged that the panchayat clerk V Manimuthu had used the MNREGS fund to pay the wages for labourers working in his field.

"Recently, he had employed 30 villagers to work in his field for three days for a payment of Rs 120 per day. But as per records all the 30 labourers had worked under MNREGS for a wage of Rs 200 per day. Manimuthu had paid them from the panchayat funds for working in his field," said Muthiah.