AGARTALA, April 26 (TIWN): In the “Golden Era” of So. Called Mr. Clean Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar misappropriation of National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) funds has been reported in the Agriculture Department of Kumarghat, Manughat and Pencharthal. Centre allots the funds for agricultural development project. A section of department employees are allegedly involved in the embezzlement of the funds.

Besides, allegations were raised over the ADC Chairman belonging to ruling party for his involvement in the corruption. According to sources, the Agriculture department under Pencharthal, Kumarghat and Manughat block has undertaken the NWDPRA project of Central government. They have undertaken the NWDPRA funds siphoned off project for the development of agriculture.

The project aims at the socio-economic development of the tribes lagging behind. Irrigation, fruit orchard, animal husbandry, fish farming and vegetable production and others come under the project. As per the report, in the last 3 years, a few tribes were hardly benefited by the project as most of the funds were allegedly siphoned by ruling party leaders.

The funds were allotted for land reforms, irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, seedlings and other facilities to the poor tribal beneficiary of each area. A section of the educated tribes of the area said at the very beginning of the NWDPRA project, the ruling party leaders of Kumarghat and Longtrai Valley sub division were active in embezzling government funds. Despite embezzlement of the NWDPRA project fund, the higher-ups of the concerned department are playing the role of mute spectators. They even do not know how many tribes got the benefit of the project.