By making the false claim that ₹23,446 crore is pending under MGNREGA from the Centre, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is misleading the people of the state on the MGNREGA issue. State General Secretary Anil Sarin launched a sharp attack on Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, stating that the figures of the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (2024–2025) are being misrepresented.
He said that while Harpal Cheema is showing the first page of the report, the very next page of the same report clearly states that in the year 2024–25 there are no pending wage dues of MGNREGA workers in any state.He further explained that under MGNREGA, the first installment is released every year in the first half of April.
Thereafter, once the state sends utilization certificates as per the prescribed rules for the funds received, the next installment is released immediately. However, if a state does not submit utilization certificates according to the rules, the central government cannot release the next installment under the provisions of the MGNREGA Act.
Sarin said that out of 13,304 panchayats in the state, audits of 5,915 panchayats have not been conducted so far. He claimed that 10,653 cases of fraud/forgery have come to light under the MGNREGA scheme, but the AAP government in Punjab is avoiding action in these cases. Whom is it trying to protect? Crores of rupees have been misused through fake cards.
Sarin stated that information about the scams taking place in MGNREGA had already been provided by union leaders to the Union Minister for Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He said that the government’s claims are limited only to statements, whereas the ground reality is completely different.
Targeting the AAP government over the Atta-Dal scheme, Sarin said that a government which calls itself a well-wisher of Dalits should clarify who withdrew the Atta-Dal scheme and why it was discontinued. He said that compromising with the rights of the poor cannot be justified in any manner.
Sarin claimed that instead of providing 100 days of employment, the Punjab government has provided only 36 days of work in the state. In conclusion, Anil Sarin challenged the AAP government, saying that the BJP will expose the lies of the AAP government on every platform, and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema will have to present the correct figures before the people of Punjab.