"It is a matter of regret that Odisha put up a poor show in implementing MGNREGA. Its performance is at the bottom after Bihar and Jharkhand though programmes like MGNREGA is badly needed for poverty eradication," Ramesh told reporters here.
Odisha was able to spend only Rs 1,000 crore last year under MGNREGA though it had a potential to utilise Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 crore per year, Ramesh said adding the programme showed positive impact in many states by checking distress migration, empowering women and tribals and helping farmers.
This year under MGNREGA,Odisha was expected to get about Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 crore which was much below its potential in view of high demand and abject poverty, he said.
Asserting that the Centre is ready to pump in funds and there is no dearth of money, Ramesh said Odisha was a state where CBI was probing alleged corruption in MGNREGA.
Stating that expenses for various rural development programmes would be thoroughly audited by CAG, he said Rs 99,000 crore would be spent on rural development, water supply and sanitation programmes this year and every rupee would be subject to strict auditing by CAG.
Every gram panchayat would go through compulsory certification by chartered accountant and all expenditure would be verified thoroughly, the minister said stressing the need for transparency and accountability in MGNREGA.
Dubbing Odisha as the weakest among states in using money properly for poverty eradication, Ramesh said "I hope the
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state will give up criticising and complaining against the Centre and sincerely implement schemes like MGNREGA."
Refuting allegation of negligence by Centre, he said Rs 2,500 crore were allocated for construction of 6,000 km roads in Odisha last year under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which was the highest in the country in view of backwardness and Naxal menace.