‘State provides employment to over 24 lakh job card holders’

Kolkata: The state government has provided employment to over 24.27 lakh card holders and has paid over Rs 1562.38 crore as wages in connection with 100 days work from April 1 to August 8.

The move to engage job card holders to ensure their livelihood has been taken in the backdrop of the Central government not providing a single penny to the state in connection with MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) for 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal.

State Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) minister Pradip Mazumdar said at the state Assembly on Monday that 6.35 crore mandays have been created till August 8. “In 2022-23, the state government had provided jobs to 42.37 lakh job card holders that generated mandays of 10.56 crore.

The state had paid Rs 2013.43 crore as wages against work done by the labourers,” Mazumdar said during the question answer session of the state Assembly.

The engagement of 100 day workers in different works under various government departments had started from May last year after Chief Minister Mamata Banejee had instructed the administration to take measures for engaging job card holders in government projects. According to Mazumdar, Rs 3731.98 crore is due for 21.75 lakh labourers against the 100-day work scheme.

“It is a great surprise that Bengal that has been awarded four times by the Centre for its excellent performance in providing 100 days work is being deprived of funds for it after December of 2021-22 financial year,” Mazumdar said.

In reply to a poser about the Pathasree scheme, Mazumdar said that 210 and 144 roads respectively have been approved under RIDF (Rural Infrastructure Development Fund) and PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sarak Yojana).

In case of roads under PMGSY, the Central funds come in phases and there has been no communication from the Centre regarding its release.