Instead of ensuring effective implementation of MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) schemes in Uttar Pradesh, both BSP and Congress are engaged in a battle of one-upmanship on it. It appears that both Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh and the UP Government headed by Mayawati are busy in playing the blame game. If Jairam Ramesh’s letter to the Chief Minister was delivered to the State Government much after it figured prominently in the electronic media, Mayawati gave a befitting reply to the Union minister before the media on Saturday prior to sending her rejoinder to the Central Government. Cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh read out the Chief Minister’s statement at a press conference here on Saturday. The Chief Minister said the performance of UP in implementation of MNREGA schemes was much better than many other States and this was vouched by none other than the website of Union Rural Development Ministry itself. “How have the achievements suddenly became shortcomings?” the CM asked, and added that giving entirely baseless and misleading information was not proper. “The CM has requested the Rural Development Minister to take immediate steps to bring transparency in MNREGA schemes”, said the Cabinet secretary. The State Government also rejected the charge of the Union Government that it was protecting those involved in alleged irregularities in implementation of MNREGA schemes in some districts while providing names of corrupt officials. The Chief Minister caught the Union Minister on the wrong foot for his reference to Sonbhadra district where he claimed that action was not taken against the erring officials. “In Sonbhadra alone, 10 FIRs have been lodged and action has been taken against 12 BDOs, one superintending engineer, five executive engineers, 15 junior engineers, 28 gram pradhans and dozens of other field officers and employees,” Singh said on behalf of the CM. The Singh also tried to corner the Union Government by claiming that the State Government received 21 reports of the Central monitors on which 17 action taken reports had been sent and four were being prepared.