Youth Congress members submit a memorandum addressed to the governor to the Jajpur additional district magistrate. Telegraph picture

Jajpur, May 10: In the wake of the Centre giving its nod for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the rural job scam under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the District Youth Congress (DYC) here on Tuesday demanded that Jajpur district be included in the purview of the investigation.

Hundreds of Congress activists from across the district gathered here at the district headquarters town to press their demand for a CBI probe into NREGA bungling in the district.

Led by DYC president Susanta Kumar Senapati, district Congress committee president Srinath Mishra, senior leader Santosh Kumar Nanda and INTUC district president Bidyadhar Mohanty, the activists staged a dharna in front of the district collector’s office and held a protest meet there today.

“There has been widespread corruption in NREGA in all 10 blocks in the district. The centrally-funded scheme has become a failure in the district as the money went into the hands of corrupt officials instead of going to the real beneficiaries. Hence we demand a CBI probe into the whole affair to unravel the truth,” said Susanta Senapati, DYC president, Jajpur.

The DYC alleged that there was large-scale financial and procedural irregularities in the implementation of the massive livelihood programme in the district.

“We have been alleging since long that there has been large-scale diversion and misappropriation of NREGA funds in the entire district. Money meant for the poor was used for the renovation of personal chambers to provide comfort to the officers,” said DYC secretary Anil Mohanty.

There were also other kinds of diversion of NREGA money which can be brought to light by CBI investigation, he added.

“NREGA money was spent on the decoration of official and residential chambers of BDOs and chairpersons of blocks in the district. They also purchase new vehicles and air conditioners for them which was a clear violation of NREGA guidelines,” said Bidyadhar Mohanty, INTUC district president.

They also submitted a memorandum addressed to the governor to the Jajpur additional district magistrate. They have demanded a CBI inquiry in NREGA. Earlier, they took out a rally holding placards and shouting slogans against chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the ruling Biju Janata Dal. The protestors also demanded Naveen’s resignation as the chief minister was head of the state council which monitored and supervised execution of work under NREGA.