K'taka govt accused of not implementing NREG scheme

Bangalore, May 27 (UNI) Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council H K Patil today accused the state government of having failed to implement the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, despite availability of funds.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the state government had ignored the Scheme which guaranteed a minimum of 100 days' work each year to poor families in rural areas. Huge amount of funds, allocated for the purpose, were lying unutilised in most of the districts, he claimed.

He said the Centre had brought in the National Rural Employment Guarantee programme in February as part of its efforts to alleviate the pour in rural areas and released funds for the purpose. But the state government neither implemented it properly nor bothered to pay unemployment allowance to beneficiaries. Over Rs 100 crore was lying unutilised in the state, he added.

Mr Patil also threatened to launch an agitation, if the government tried to bring further limitations for providing farm loans at an interest rate of four per cent.

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