HYDERABAD: BJP State spokesperson S Prakash Reddy on Saturday accu-sed the Telangana government of using a technical issue that arose due to its “arrogant attitude” in reporting the NREGA works to the Centre, to label the NDA government anti-farmer.
Speaking to the media at the BJP party office here, Prakash Reddy said that in 2020-21, the State government had used Rs 151 crore crore to build what it clai-med were barnyards for drying paddy and other food grains.
“However, the State government did not inform the ministry concerned about the nature of the work, which was part of the 265 permissible works under the scheme. When the ‘labour component’ and ‘material component’ of the works were uploaded on the software used for the scheme, the works were marked as ‘deviations’ by the software,” he said.
As a result, when the Department of Rural Development under the Ministry of PR&RD conducted an audit of the works a year later, it found that the funds were used for some other purpose. “This was why the Centre asked the State government to return Rs 151 crore,” Prakash Reddy said.
He said that in the last three years, Rs 3,000 crore has been released on an average to the State for NREGS works. “Why would the Centre consider Rs 151 crore a burden? Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal have been constructing such platforms for various purposes. Even West Bengal tried to create an issue, but two years later worked it out with the Centre and resolved the issue. “At least now shed your arrogant attitude and send your officials to amicably resolve a simple matter, which you want to use for your politics,” he advised BRS working president KT Rama Rao.
On Rama Rao posting photos and video of a newly-constructed school building in Gambhiraopet and terming it an example of KG to PG education, BJP State spokesperson J Sangappa wondered how the minister could “tell white lies”.
“There are schools without toilets, food poisoning cases are being reported in educational institutions, 12,000 vidya volunteers and 20,000 scavengers have been removed from schools since 2014, and the State government hasn’t been able to use Rs 9,456 crore Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan funds of the Centre just because it hasn’t paid matching grant,” Sangappa said.