BHUBANESWAR: A CBI team is expected here on Monday to probe the rural job scam under the MGNREGS.Although there is no official confirmation about the visit, sources said a team of the Central agency, headed by an officer in the rank of joint director, is coming to the State. The team will directly proceed to districts identified for investigation.The Supreme Court on May 12 directed the CBI to probe the alleged financial irregularities in the rural job scheme in the districts of Balangir, Kalahandi, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Nuapada and Rayagada and submit its first status report in six months. The probe will be limited to 100 villages in the six districts.The directive of the apex court was based on the report of the Delhi-based NGO Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS), the petitioner. The NGO filed a PIL in the Supreme Court alleging large-scale irregularities in the implementation of MGNREGS and the implementing agencies of siphoning off Rs 500 crore.The court further directed CBI to take into consideration all the three documents - the survey report prepared by CEFS, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of March 31, 2009, and the report submitted by National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) to the State Government.It was the CAG which first pointed out irregularities running into crores of rupees in the implementation of the job scheme in the State.The Court also asked the Centre and the State Government to file affidavits in six weeks stating they are implementing the scheme strictly in accordance with NREGA guidelines.In the event, these guidelines have not been accepted or are not being implemented, the affidavit shall specifically state reasons for such non-acceptance or nonimplementation of the Central guidelines.
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