Abhishek: Set up over 300 camps for MGNREGA beneficiaries’ registration

Kolkata: A day after the state Budget allotted Rs 3700 crore for MGNREGA workers who were deprived of wages due to Centre’s fund blockade, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is learnt to have instructed party workers to set up more than 300 kiosks-cum-camps for the beneficiaries in South 24-Parganas for registration from February 10 to 15.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced release of funds for wages for 21 lakh job card holders within February 21 in the backdrop of the Centre depriving them of their due wages under MGNREGA for a period of almost two years.

Placing the Budget, state Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharjee said: “More than 11 lakh approved families are deprived of their housing needs and living in difficult conditions. The Centre has not responded to our repeated requests for release of our legitimate demand. We shall wait for another one month for receiving the fund that is due to us. If the Central government does not respond positively to our demand, the state government will consider providing financial support to these families from its own resources.”

Abhishek, who is also the TMC MP for Diamond Harbour Constituency, is learnt to have instructed setting up of camps for the beneficiaries who would need to register themselves for availing the money.

Party sources said that more than 300 kiosks-cum-camps for MGNREGA registration in South 24-Parganas will be installed. Such camps will be set up zone-wise in the district from February 10 to 15.

After necessary registration, cross-verification and sanitisation of data, the list of beneficiaries from South 24-Parganas will be sent to the state govt which will later provide financial assistance to deprived MGNREGA beneficiaries.

Last year in November, Abhishek wrote to 3000 MGNREGA job card holders from Bengal, extending financial aid to them from his end. Most of these job card holders had accompanied him to Delhi to stage a sit-in demonstration in demand of funds from the Centre. The state government will be paying the wages to about 21 lakh job card holders.