New Delhi: Senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy on Wednesday accused the Union government of deliberately depriving West Bengal of funds due to the state under multiple central schemes.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Roy on Thursday alleged that the Centre was using financial dues as a “weapon” against a state ruled by an opposition party. Roy claimed that it owes West Bengal nearly Rs 2 lakh crore, including Rs 52,000 crore under the 100 days’ work programme alone, impacting almost 59 lakh workers. He further said that dues under the disaster relief fund amount to Rs 43,000 crore, while funds pending under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and Jal Jeevan Mission stand at Rs 60,100 crore, Rs 19,000 crore and Rs 2,500 crore, respectively.
The TMC MP referred to a Calcutta High Court order directing the Centre to release pending MGNREGA funds by August 1, 2025. He alleged that the Union government not only failed to comply with the order but also misled the Parliament on the issue. Roy noted that the Centre’s appeal before the Supreme Court had been rejected, strengthening the state’s demand for immediate release of funds.
Accusing the Union government of a “discriminatory attitude” towards West Bengal, Roy demanded the immediate restoration of MGNREGA, which he said has effectively been non-functional in the state since 2022. He said millions of workers dependent on the scheme were suffering.