Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said that union minister Jairam Ramesh’s letter on scams in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MNREG) scheme in the state is politically motivated. In a letter written to Mayawati, Jairam Ramesh had demanded a CBI probe into the implementation of MNREGS in seven districts of the state.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, state cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar said that the state has been on top for three continuous years for successfully implementing the rural employment schemes.

He also said chief minister Mayawati has written a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh giving clarifications regarding the issue.

Earlier report:

Jairam demands probe into UP's MNREGS scam

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has written to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati demanding a CBI probe into the rampant corruption in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) projects in the state.

Governance Now had reported on some of the scams in Varanasi, Sonbhadra, Kushinagar, Kanpur Dehat, Siddharth Nagar and Unnao in its October 16-30 issue. The minister has cited the story in a separate letter (attached below) to V Narayanasamy, the minister of state at the prime minister's office.

In his letter to Mayawati, the minister has demanded a CBI probe into the corruption in MNREGS works in Sonbhadra, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Balrampur, Mahoba, Gonda, Sant Kabir Nagar and Mirzapur districts.

Ramesh also highlights the fact that the state government has ignored the reports on the scams of the national level monitor and the state quality monitor. He has claimed that the failure of the state government to act on the issue necessitates a central probe.

The minister has also informed Mayawati that the state's labour budget for the scheme has exceeded Rs 5,000 crore, a sum that has been borne entirely by the central government.