Bengal has lowest job card deletions compared to BJP-ruled states: Minister

Kolkata: State Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) minister, Pradip Mazumdar, on Monday, said Bengal is being deprived of MGNREGA funds despite having the lowest number of job card deletions compared to BJP ruled states.

He said that the number of job card deletions in Bengal is lower than Uttar Pradesh. As on February 5, 2024 an amount of Rs 6782 crore is due from the central government out of which wage component payable to the rural workers is Rs 3732 crore.

“In the last three financial years (2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23) 52.69 lakh job cards have been deleted in Uttar Pradesh while the number is 22.22 lakhs for Bengal. In 2022 -23, UP witnessed 4475634 job cards deletion while Bengal saw 2175800. We have also completed Aadhaar seeding of 99.68 per cent job card before September 2023,” Mazumdar said in his budget speech of P&RD department for the financial year 2024-25 at the state assembly.

He said the reasons for deletion of job cards in the year 2022-23 can be attributed to three factors: 13.95 lakh cards have been deleted on the ground of workers not working for three years, 4.94 lakh for household shifting, and 2.41 lakh cards for

other reasons. In connection with Awas Yojana, 11 lakh houses have been sanctioned in December 2022 but a Central share of Rs 8140 crore is due.

“I have written 65 letters requesting funds for MGNREGA and PMAY but no funds have been disbursed,” the minister said.Mazumdar said that from 2016-17 till the financial year 2021-22 the state was told by the Ministry of P & RD stating that no fund utilization certificate (UC) is pending against MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana (Gramin). He handed over all related documents in connection with the UCs to the Speaker in support of his statement on the floor of the Assembly.