Centre hasn't paid Bengal a single cent in ongoing fiscal: Union min's report

Kolkata: A statement on the details of funds under the MGNREGS for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 (till date) has pointed out that not a single penny has been released by the Centre in the ongoing fiscal to Bengal. Over Rs 6,500 crore is due under this 100 days work scheme.

The statement has been furnished by Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Union minister of State for Ministry of Rural Development, in reply to a Rajya Sabha question raised by Jawhar Sircar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) member of Rajya Sabha.

The list has also shown that during the last financial year 2021-22 under MGNREGS, the allotted amount was less than over Rs 4,000 crore compared to the previous year.

Among the 34 states and Union Territories, Bengal is the solitary state and Lakshadweep (UT) that has not received any funds for 100 days of work.

Funds under the NREGS to the states and Union Territories are a continuous process and the Central government is supposed to make these funds available to States/UTs for the implementation of the scheme.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her meeting with the Prime Minister in Delhi a few days back had been vocal about the deprivation of the state in MGNREGS and urged him to do the needful in this regard. The Centre has asked for certain clarifications about the implementation of the scheme in Bengal and we have already sent our observations. We are hopeful that the way our honourable Chief Minister has raised this matter, funds will be disbursed soon," Pradip Majumdar, state Panchayats and Rural Development minister said.

West Bengal ranked first in employing unskilled labourers and second in the creation of man-days among all states in the country under the 100-day job scheme in the 2021-22 fiscal.

The state government has offered employment to 1,11,19765 people while 36,41,17876 man-days have been created under MGNREGS.

The state government, however, has engaged MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) card holders in various scheme-based development works to create additional job opportunities for them. They are being paid regular wages as per rates approved under such schemes. Over 2.7 crore man-days have already been generated through these alternate jobs.