The government is exploring whether it can use the biometric smart cards issued for its flagship health insurance scheme to stop misappropriation of funds under its rural employment scheme. The rural development ministry is in talks with the labour ministry to use the biometric smart cards issued for the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) for identifying beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). "I have seen truck drivers...

-DNA   The Centre has asked the Madhya Pradesh government to send "on priority basis" its action taken report on alleged corruption to the tune of several crore in works done under its flagship rural employment guarantee scheme. Senior officials in the rural development ministry said the state government has not yet sent its ATR over the series of irregularities pointed out by the ministry. "We are concerned over the irregularities and sought...

-The Business Standard   The Supreme Court today asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in six districts of Orissa. The apex court has directed the Central investigative agency to submit its report within six months. The CBI has been asked to check if the operational guidelines of the Central scheme were duly complied...

CBI told to submit first report within six months Many States erred in implementing the schemes The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe alleged misuse of the schemes under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 100 villages in six districts of Orissa. A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia, Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar gave this direction on a petition...

-The Indian Express   The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the CBI to conduct free and fair investigation on the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gaurantee Act (MGNREGA) in 100 villages spanning across six districts of Orissa. Not limiting itself to Orissa, the three-member bench led by Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia also directed all states and the Centre to file reports showing compliance to the MNREGA operational...