Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Aradhana Mishra Mona has accused the BJP government of presiding over widespread corruption, alleging irregularities in digital attendance records under the VB-G RAM G scheme, which replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Addressing a press conference at the state Congress headquarters, Mishra alleged that after controversies over electoral rolls and donations collected in the name of the Ram temple, questions had now arisen over the alleged diversion of funds meant for rural workers. She said the reported irregularities raised serious concerns about the protection of workers’ wages and public money.
According to Mishra, suspicious attendance records have been reported from several districts, including Ayodhya, Sambhal, Rampur, Hardoi, Ghazipur, Deoria and Maharajganj. She also referred to alleged irregularities in Chandauli, Ghaziabad, Bahraich and Jalaun, where claims have emerged of duplicate photographs, questionable attendance entries and the possible use of cloned applications to bypass digital verification systems.
In Ayodhya, she cited records showing the attendance of 1,124 workers between September 25 and 27, with wages amounting to approximately ₹3.37 lakh. In Sambhal, attendance was reportedly recorded for 5,587 workers across eight blocks during the same period, involving an alleged irregularity of around ₹16 lakh. In Rampur, attendance for 1,008 workers was recorded on September 26, with payments estimated at ₹3.24 lakh.
Mishra also cited reports from Ghazipur showing attendance entries for more than 21,000 workers on September 26 and over 22,000 on September 27. She questioned whether the recorded work had actually taken place, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall and waterlogging. In Maharajganj, she referred to allegations that attendance for 906 workers had been entered despite work allegedly not being carried out at the sites concerned.
The Congress leader further alleged that cloned versions of the government’s National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) application may have been used in some districts to record attendance using previously stored photographs. She called for an investigation into the alleged misuse of application files, access keys and departmental login credentials.
Mishra said the Union Ministry of Rural Development had warned states about manipulation of digital attendance records in a communication dated July 8, 2025. According to her, the ministry had identified discrepancies involving photographs, worker counts and muster rolls, and directed authorities to strengthen verification at the village, block, district and state levels.
She questioned whether the Uttar Pradesh government had complied with the Centre’s directions, completed the required investigations and submitted action-taken reports. She also referred to findings shared with 12 states during a review of rural employment schemes, alleging that more than half had not submitted responses or action reports at that time.
The Congress demanded an impartial investigation into the reported irregularities, public disclosure of verification findings and compliance reports, and recovery of funds wherever fraudulent attendance or improper payments are established. It also called for action against those found responsible.
Mishra said rural employment programmes were intended to provide livelihood security to workers and should not become a channel for the misuse of public funds. She maintained that a comprehensive investigation across Uttar Pradesh was necessary to establish the scale of the alleged irregularities.
Congress leaders Shiv Pandey, Kunwar Singh Nishad, Priyanka Gupta, Sachin Rawat, Siddhishri, Dr Alimullah Khan and Man Singh Chauhan were among those present at the press conference.
The allegations cited in the statement have not been independently verified for this report. The figures and claims have been attributed to the Congress leader and require examination by the relevant authorities.
