MGNREGA: ‘Why Centre didn’t stop funds for BJP states with high job card deletions’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh on Tuesday questioned why the Centre stopped MGNREGA funds to Bengal and not to other states, including those ruled by the BJP where a huge number of job cards were deleted.

Sharing a list of states and union territories where a huge number of job cards have been deleted, Ghosh said that despite a huge number of job cards being deleted the Centre has not stopped providing funds to these states under MGNREGA. He has given the list of job cards deleted in various states from 2019-20 up to July 30 this year.

In a post on X, Ghosh said: “Job card deleted. 2019-20 to 30.7.24 Look at the list and ask Delhi, why the fund for WB is being stopped? What about UP, Orissa, MP, AP and others? Why have their funds not been stopped? Delhi has to clear WB’s due in every scheme immediately.”

The data shared by Ghosh on social media said that around 24,05,859 job cards were deleted in Bengal during this period while in BJP rule Uttar Pradesh around 91,42,876 job cards have been deleted. As many as 37,74,160 job cards were deleted in another BJP ruled state Madhya Pradesh during this period. In Gujarat, 7,08,182 job cards were deleted during this period. Around 8,66,398 job cards have been deleted in another BJP ruled state Assam. As per data shared by Ghosh around 42,82,945 job cards have been deleted in Odisha from 2019-20 till July 30 this year.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien on Sunday claimed that the Central government has admitted in its answer in the Parliament that it did not release any funds for West Bengal under MGNREGA’s 100 day work scheme.

Posting a photograph of a document on his social media handle, Derek purportedly showed a state-wise list pertaining to the number of households who have completed 100 days of employment under MGNREGS in the last five financial years.

In the column of West Bengal, it purportedly showed zero in the financial year 2023-24.