In regards to the alleged inconsistencies in the Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyaan scheme, the MVA government will order an open inquiry through the Anti Corruption Bureau. According to reports, this comes in the backdrop of committee recommendations led by Retired Additional Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar. It is said that the recommendation report by the committee has been submitted to the state government.
Post the findings of discrepancies by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), a committee was instituted in December 2020. Some reports say that the committee has recommended which cases in the CAG report need to be further examined through an open inquiry. Additionally, cases that need departmental investigation have also been mentioned in the recommendation, claim reports.
In September 2020, a CAG report was tabled that elucidated that in spite of expenditure worth Rs 9,634 cr, the said scheme had minimal influence on water neutrality or increasing groundwater levels. The report studied 1,128 works from 120 villages that had the most spending. The MVA government when it came to power, stopped the scheme.
According to reports, some believe that work was assigned without the invitation of tenders. BJP leader Ashish Shelar however, elaborated, according to reports, that tenders were invited for government work, but not for the work undertaken through the CSR funds of corporates.
Furthermore, there were accusations that without the work being concluded, bills were submitted to the government. As per some reports, to this, he responded that the Fadnavis government when in power commenced an inquiry into 650 cases. He thus believes that there isn’t any need to slander a project involving 6.5 lakh works. He states that district collectors gave the clearance for work.
Additionally, reports say that Devendra Fadnavis has welcomed the decision to probe the matter.
The scheme looked to build farm ponds, weirs on channels and streams, along with river bed cleaning and widening, in an attempt to conserve water.
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