BHOPAL: Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday staged a protest on the premises of the Assembly complex here against the Mohan Yadav government accusing it of irregularities in the implementation of the 'Nal Jal' scheme in the state.
On the fourth day of the Winter Session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Opposition Congress legislators arrived on the Assembly premises carrying "water taps" and staged a protest.
The scheme was introduced by the Centre under the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' aimed at providing water on tap at each home.
Over a dozen Congress legislators, led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar, assembled at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Assembly premises and shouted slogans against the BJP government led by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Congress members alleged that more than 40 per cent fund of the 'Nal Jal' scheme was misused by the state government. The criteria for implementation of such a big scheme wasn't followed properly, which has resulted shortage of funds for it.
"Nal Jal yojana was introduced to provide potable water to people. However, it was failed due to financial irregularities in Madhya Pradesh. A nexus of leaders from the ruling BJP and senior officials have misused Nal Jal Yojana's fund. We are demanding an investigation in the matter, " Umang Singhar said.
Last month, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh raised this issue, particularly about Madhya Pradesh, claiming that the scheme was halted in the state because of a lack of adequate funds for it. Under the mission, 1.11 crore households will get tap water connections in MP, of which, 63 per cent work has been completed.
Recently, the MP government approached the Centre to bear the cost, as the scheme is on an equal sharing basis between the Centre and the state. But following the Centre's refusal, the state will now have to manage the cost of Rs 1, 500 crore.
Official sources said that at least 7.5 lakh houses in over 5, 000 villages were left out in the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in MP. The issue of including the remaining households, villages, or new settlements would soon be brought up in the state cabinet.
Notably, since the winter session of the MP Assembly began on December 16, Congress members have been highlighting irregularities in various schemes. Every day Congress legislators come to the Assembly and stage a protest before entering the House.