AHMEDABAD: N K Ojha, Lokpal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Vadodara, resigned in protest recently , alleging a massive financial scam in the scheme’s implementation.
Ojha, who also serves as a technical advisor at Guru Govindsingh University and Bhakt Kavi Narshi Mehta University, highlighted that despite raising concerns through 17 emails and 11 letters, the Rural Development department ignored him.
He pointed out that in 80% of the state’s Talukas, a large-scale scam involving the misappropriation of public funds is occurring. Ojha cited an instance where tenders for construction materials in Karjan Taluka violated MGNREGA rules, leading to a significant financial scam. After his whistle blowing, the department stopped sharing complaints with him, and a cancelled meeting further raised suspicions.