Chandigarh, Dec 29 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should issue a white paper on the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the past 10 years, and order a time-bound inquiry for recovery and prosecution, if wrongdoing is found, said state vice-president of the BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha, Paramjit Singh Kainth, on Monday.

He said if the government is confident in its governance record, it should keep verifiable facts in the public domain — district-wise, block-wise and gram panchayat-wise — including job cards issued, demand registered, employment provided, muster rolls, work measurements, material procurement, payments and social audit compliance.

He said a white paper is a minimum standard of accountability and will allow citizens to assess whether the funds have reached the actual beneficiaries and whether the assets created are sustainable and useful.

Kainth said in a statement that complaints and audit observations over the years point to recurring risk patterns that warrant forensic scrutiny, including allegations of fake or duplicate job cards, payments supported by forged or unreliable documentation, muster roll inflation and payments without corresponding work, works shown as completed without durable outputs, and inclusion of ineligible or deceased persons as beneficiaries.

He said the white paper should also disclose the status of departmental inquiries initiated, FIRs registered, recoveries made, officials and panchayat functionaries proceeded against, and the corrective controls adopted to prevent recurrence.

Kainth also welcomed the enactment of the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB G RAM G) Act, 2025, describing it as a significant reform framework intended to modernise rural employment delivery and align it more directly with durable rural infrastructure creation.

He said the programme is among the largest rural livelihood and infrastructure interventions and must be implemented with clear service standards and strong accountability, particularly in states where integrity concerns have been raised.

–IANS

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