DIMAPUR: The Nagaland government has clarified that it has not received any funds from the government of India under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK) 2023 or disproportionately distributed such amount.
Drawing its attention to the circulations on social and print media on the proposals submitted to the government of India under PMJVK 2023, the minority affairs cell, planning and coordination department, on Wednesday, said it would be wrong to presume that the Nagaland government received any fund under the scheme and disproportionately distributed it.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
On July 25, the Rising People’s Party (RPP) appealed to the government of India, particularly the minority affairs ministry, to stop the release of PMJVK funds to Nagaland.
In a letter to Union minority affairs minister Smriti Irani, the party urged her to consider the track record of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government in the state which points to “systemic corruption”.
The minority affairs cell explained that the PMJVK scheme, as was being implemented till 2021-22, was limited to the Niuland block only in Nagaland.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The Nagaland government had strongly taken up with the central government to extend it to the entire Nagaland and added with the personal intervention of chief minister Neiphiu Rio, the revised PMJVK guidelines made all districts of the state eligible for the scheme from 2022-23. The government of India has agreed to extend the scheme to the entire state, it said.
Also read: Nagaland: NSCN-IM says RSS opposing flag, delaying final settlement
The department said on account of the concerns raised by various organisations and some individuals, the state government had taken up with the government of India to allow submission of additional list of projects for consideration under the scheme along with the submitted list.
The minority affairs cell had also written to the deputy commissioners who could not submit or where there were inadequate projects submitted to submit the list of projects, prioritized on a year wise basis, as per the guidelines of the scheme, with recommendation of the respective district level committees by August 6, 2022.
The department also explained that in order to submit the consolidated plan for the state to the government of India, the minority affairs cell had requested the deputy commissioners for submission of projects for their respective districts for inclusion in the five years perspective plan 2022-26. Some of the deputy commissioners have submitted their inputs, it said.
It also clarified that the plan submitted to the government of India is a compiled list of the proposals only and is submitted only on the online PMJVK web portal.
“As all projects cannot be taken up together, they can be taken up over a five-year period. The selection of projects and final approval will be made by the ministry of minority affairs, government of India,” the department added.