₹112 cr MGNREGA funds misappropriated: Audit

Rural development dept in Virudhunagar denies claims, terms it audit discrepancies; says almost all cases resolved

- HARINI M @ Virudhunagar

A WHOPPING ₹112.81 crore has been misappropriated from MGNREGA scheme funds in Virudhunagar district for over a period of 10 years, according to a social audit report by the Union Ministry of Rural Development. The audit has uncovered 38,063 cases of financial irregularities between 2013 and 2023 here.

The audit report was obtained through an RTI application filed by activist Karuppasamy. The reply also mentioned that authorities had managed to recover ₹78.79 crore of the misappropriated funds.

However, officials from the state Rural Development Department, Virudhunagar, claimed that the said misappropriations were audit objections, and not proven, and that almost all the cases were being settled.

As per the report, a copy of which is with TNIE, the audit disclosed several high-risk irregularities including diversion of MGNREGA funds worth ₹16.77 lakh to pay the salaries of regular state government staff working in District Rural Development Agency.