Parliament Question: Irregularities under Rural Development Schemes

O.I.H.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3892 ANSWERED ON 11/08/2026 IRREGULARITIES UNDER RURAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

3892. Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the number of cases of irregularities reported in various rural development schemes during the last three years, State-wise;

(b) whether the Government has conducted any inquiry in this regard, if so, the details thereof and the action taken against the guilty officers/employees;

(c) the steps taken to prevent such irregularities in future;

(d) the present status of social audit in rural development schemes;

(e) the number of districts where regular social audit is being conducted; and

(f) the number of complaints received during the course of social audit? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a) & (b): The responsibility of implementation of various rural development schemes/programmes at ground level lies with the State Government and grievances/ complaints received in the Ministry are referred to the concerned State/UT authorities to undertake necessary verification/inquiry and also for taking appropriate action against the officials/persons found responsible, in accordance with the applicable rules and procedures. Further, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has put in place effective mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of its programmes /schemes by the States/UTs. The Ministry also advises the States/UTs to take corrective and remedial measures wherever deficiencies are noticed. However, the Ministry does not maintain data about such cases.

Page 1 of 2(c): The implementation framework provided through schematic guidelines of the programmes prescribed by MoRD has inbuilt measures to prevent irregularities. Further, end-to-end digital solutions have also been operationalized under the programmes to ensure ease of implementation, better targeting, effective delivery and improved transparency besides enabling concurrent monitoring /assessment of progress and effectiveness by the stakeholders concerned on real time basis. Additionally, with a view to strengthen the preventive mechanism, grievance redressal has been made as an integral part in the implementation of the schemes/programmes and is being carried out as per the guidelines of the schemes on priorities.

There is a procedure of lodging complaints on the Centralized Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal (pgportal.gov.in). The complaints received in the Ministry through CPGRAMs or otherwise, are forwarded to the respective State Governments for redressal of the grievance and furnishing the ATRs to the Ministry under intimation to the complainant within one month of receipt of the complaint. Further, the Ministry regularly reviews/ monitors proper implementation of the schemes by States/UTs through various forums such as Performance Review Committee meetings, Mid-term Reviews, Common Review Missions, NLMs, Empowered Committee meetings, Monthly Reviews, Area Officers visit, Video conferences etc.

(d) to (f): Social audit is an important mechanism for ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of schemes/programmes. States/UTs, being responsible for implementation of the programmes at ground level, have been advised to undertake regular social audits in accordance with their laid down policies/guidelines. Complaints/irregularities noticed during the course of social audit are taken up by the State Governments/UT authorities concerned for verification and appropriate remedial actions. Regular social audits are being conducted in several districts across the country under the programmes and the Ministry continues to encourage States/UTs to strengthen and institutionalize social audit processes.

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