MP govt failed to utilise full central funds for welfare schemes, claims Congress

The opposition Indian National Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday accused the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of failing to fully utilise funds allocated by the Government of India for key welfare and rural development programmes.

Addressing a press conference in Bhopal, state Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that the government’s inability to spend the allocated budget reflected poor financial management and weak administrative planning.

Patwari said the situation was particularly concerning as even centrally funded schemes intended to benefit rural communities were not being implemented effectively.

“The state government has not been able to fully utilise the budget allocated for centrally sponsored schemes. This shows serious negligence in financial planning and execution,” he said.

According to Patwari, the Centre had allocated Rs 27,745.18 crore for rural development in the 2025–26 financial year. However, he claimed that by 7 March 2026, the state government had spent only Rs 11,457.66 crore — roughly 41.3 per cent of the total allocation.

He argued that the low level of spending indicated that rural development was not a priority for the state administration.

“The figures clearly show that the government is focused more on announcements and publicity than on actually implementing development programmes,” Patwari said.

The Congress leader further alleged that several major schemes had seen inadequate fund utilisation, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Janman Yojana and the National Rural Livelihood Mission.

He claimed that limited expenditure on these initiatives demonstrated serious shortcomings in governance and raised concerns about the delivery of welfare benefits in rural areas.

Patwari also accused the state government of allowing development schemes to falter due to financial mismanagement and rising corruption.

“If funds meant for rural development are not spent on time, villages will not see improvements in employment opportunities, road infrastructure, housing for the poor or economic growth,” he said.

The BJP-led state government has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.

With agency inputs