The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the West Bengal government of causing delays in releasing wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The BJP’s Information Technology Cell chief, Amit Malviya, highlighted that the delay was due to the state government’s failure to submit the labor budget proposal. This issue was brought to light through a response in Parliament by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan.
Malviya pointed out that the Central government had been awaiting the submission of the labor budget proposal by the West Bengal government for MGNREGA. He emphasized that the delay in payments to workers under the scheme in the state was a result of the state government’s inaction. The ongoing suspension of MGNREGA payments in West Bengal has led to a prolonged political clash between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
The Union government has alleged significant irregularities in the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme, leading to the withholding of funds. Last year, the Calcutta High Court directed the Union government to release pending MGNREGA funds for West Bengal following a petition. While the Centre can impose conditions on fund release, it cannot indefinitely halt payments, as stated by the court. Despite the Centre’s challenge in the Supreme Court, the High Court’s order to release funds was upheld last month.
