‘Centre stops funds under MGNREGA for state but gives Rs 2 cr to non-eligible beneficiaries’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) attacked the BJP government at the Centre saying that around Rs 1.15 lakh crore meant for Bengal’s poor people under MGNREGA and Awas Yojana has been withheld whereas major lapses were found in the implementation of the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) where non-eligible candidates received benefits worth Rs 2 crore.

“The The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) audit report has exposed the Ministry of Rural Development’s jumla! Funds meant for publicity of the ministry’s schemes were diverted from the pension scheme for campaigning. No wonder the people of Bengal are being deprived of their rightful dues worth Rs 7500 Cr under MGNREGA, since the Centre is busy spending on its flashy PR stunts!” Trinamool Congress tweeted.

Launching a further attack on the BJP, the ruling party in Bengal said: “Incompetence at its peak! Under the National Social Assistance Programme, @BJP4India Govt generously doled out Rs 2 Cr to over 2,103 deceased beneficiaries! Meanwhile, they have withheld Rs 1.15 lakh crore owed to Bengal’s LIVING poor under MGNREGS & Awas Yojana, who genuinely require the funds for survival. If this isn’t the epitome of failure, then what is?”

Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee on several occasions raised her voice against the Centre’s stepmotherly attitude in clearing the dues of the state government. The CAG has recently highlighted several major lapses in the implementation of the NSAP, which is being carried out under the Ministry of Rural Development. These lapses include the lack of verified data leading to ineligible beneficiaries receiving benefits, ineffective monitoring and on-ground checks, diversion of funds meant for creating awareness to other schemes, idling of funds, delays in proposal submission for funds by states, and most states not maintaining ‘BPL lists’. The CAG report also revealed that payments amounting to Rs 2 crore were made to 2,103 NSAP beneficiaries in 26 states and Union territories even after their death.

The audit report covers the period from 2017-18 to 2020-21 and states that the central expenditure for NSAP during this period was Rs 34,432 crore, while total expenditure by states on the scheme was Rs 1,09,573 crore.

The CAG report emphasises that the non-verification of beneficiaries and lack of data cleaning, verification, and authentication have resulted in ineligible beneficiaries receiving benefits in many states.