The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate on former Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal's bail plea in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to the alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and other charges.

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): Communist Party of India-(Marxist) MP V Sivadasan has given a suspension of business notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267 and demanded a discussion on the reduction in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) work in July.

New Delhi [India], July 28 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on the plea of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the state government against the Jharkhand High Court order which had accepted the maintainability of PIL in connection with shell companies allegedly related to state Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his associates.

New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will appear before the Election Commission of India in person or through counsel on Tuesday in the office of profit matter which pertains to owning of stone mining lease.

Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], June 3 (ANI): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday admitted the petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the mining lease issue and matters of shell companies, after the Supreme Court on May 24 directed Jharkhand High Court to decide on the maintainability of the public interest litigations seeking enquiry against Chief Minister Hemant Soren and others in relation to the grant of mining leases.

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], May 12 (ANI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the Central Government isn't releasing funds to Bengal for MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana.

Lucknow Apr 20 PTI Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed officials to take strict action against illegal occupants of any land be it government or private without discrimination During the presentation of an action plan by the department of rural development before the council of ministers here Adityanath said Whether the land is owned by the government or a private entity the strictest action should be taken against illegal occupants without discrimination Stressing that an encroachment of land is a factor of big disputes in the villages he said illegal encroachments should be investigated and action should be taken The chief minister directed that block development officers tehsildars and sub-divisional magistrates should stay at their places of postings It is fine if there is a government residence otherwise arrange for rented accommodation he said Stressing on making the tehsil administration responsible transparent and corruption free Adityanath said a separate portal should be developed for receiving complaints of corruption Under this a panel of 50 officers should be formed to investigate complaints of corruption he said adding that arrangements should be made for online filing of suits The chief minister also directed that efforts should be initiated to cover 13 lakh families under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Rural and 15 lakh families under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana Rural in the direction of providing houses to every homeless person In the financial years 2020-21 and 2021-22 Uttar Pradesh has ranked first in the country in providing employment to the maximum number of families he claimed The chief minister directed that the work of setting up two hi-tech nurseries in every district should be ensured through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee ActMGNREGA with one nursery producing 15 lakh saplingsBefore the monsoon de-silting of the drains should be ensured and arrangement for rainwater harvesting should also be made in the villages he said In the next hundred days rivers should be revived under MGNREGA and plantation should be done as per requirement Adityanath saidThe chief minister asked the officials to work with the goal of constructing 15000 sports grounds and rejuvenating 30000 ponds in the next two years PTI SAB KVK KVK

New Delhi [India], March 31 (ANI): Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday urged the Central government to ensure proper budget allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) while also making payment of wages to labourers within 15 days of work.

Raipur Mar 21 PTI Chhattisgarh Panchayat and Rural Development Minister T S Singh Deo on Monday announced the suspension of 15 staffers for allegedly committing financial irregularities in works under MGNREGA in the states Marwahi forest division The minister made the announcement in the Assembly while replying to questions of Congress MLA Gulab Kamro who had alleged that gross irregularities were committed in the construction of culverts and stop dams under MGNREGA in Marwahi Forest Division in Gaurela Pendra Marwahi district Kamro said funds of over Rs 6 crore meant for materials for 33 construction works in Chuktipani Thadpathra Pakaria Keonchi Padavaniya and Teraigaon villages were drawn without carrying out the construction In his reply the minister admitted that complaints were received in this connection in July last year following which the concerned district collector reviewed the matter and based on his report a four-member inquiry committee was constituted for further investigation The inquiry committee examined 33 works and concluded violation of rules and guidelines of MGNREGA following which the collectors opinion was sought As per the collector violations were found to be committed by then Divisional Forest officer DEFO the minister said When Kamro further asked how many officials and employees were involved in the alleged irregularity and sought to know what action had been taken against them Singh Deo put the figure at 15 including Marwahi DFO Rakesh Mishra Apart from the forest department a prima facie mistake on the part of then Zila Panchayat Chief Executive Officer CEO was also found he said Singh Deo said he will write to the General Administration Department GAD to suspend the then CEO currently posted in another district and assured the House to take appropriate action over involvement of the DFO who has been retired Subsequently opposition members including BJP demanded that the minister announce the suspension of those found guilty for committing irregularities Thereafter the minister announced suspension of 14 forest officials and employees and then Zila Panchayat CEO PTI TKP BNM BNM BNM

Jaipur Feb 23 PTI Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday described Rajasthans budget for the year 2022-23 as development-oriented and said the state government has given relief to the common manHe said despite the BJP-led central government not releasing Rajasthans share of funds in time during the COVID-19 pandemic the states Congress dispensation has made public welfare announcementsEarlier Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot presented the budget in the Rajasthan Assembly with the main focus on health education infrastructure and tourism sectors and social securityIn a statement Pilot welcomed the budgets provisions for reducing the burden of electricity bills increasing subsidy for milk producers and implementing the old pension scheme for state employees and termed it development-orientedThe former deputy chief minister said before the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given an assurance that the East Rajasthan Canal Project will be declared a national project but it was never doneThe proposal of the Congress government to form a corporation for the project is a commendable step he saidDuring the almost three-hour budget speech Gehlot announced the launch of the Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme to provide 100 days of employment in urban areasAnother major announcement in the budget was that all employees appointed on or after January 1 2004 will be covered under the old pension scheme from next yearIn the states first separate agriculture budget Gehlot announced an allocation of Rs 5000 crore for Rajasthan Mukhya Mantri Krishak Saathi Yojana up from Rs 2000 crore in the last budgetHe also proposed Rs 2700 crore for the Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission under which 5 lakh farmers will be benefitted and announced an increase in the number of employment days under MGNREGA to 125 from 100 PTI SDA DIV DIV