West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday stated that her authorities can pay wages to 21 lakh employees below the Mahatma Gandhi Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Scheme, or MNREGS, which were stored pending by the Centre, reported The Hindu.
In line with the Trinamool Congress authorities, the Centre owes West Bengal no less than Rs 6,900 crore below the central jobs scheme that has floor to a halt within the state on account of pending funds.
The Union Rural Growth Ministry in March 2022 determined to withhold MGNREGS funds for West Bengal alleging violation of the scheme’s guidelines of implementation by the West Bengal authorities.
“[We] will clear the dues of 21 lakh MGNREGA employees whose wages have been stored pending by the Central authorities for the previous two years,” Banerjee stated throughout a dharna known as to protest the Centre’s denial of dues to West Bengal.
On Republic Day, Banerjee had warned that her occasion will launch protests in opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Get together-led authorities on the Centre if it doesn’t clear the state’s dues inside seven days.
As many as 100 attorneys from throughout India, below the banner of the Nationwide Alliance for Justice, Accountability, and Rights, wrote to the Union Rural Growth Ministry final month criticising the Centre’s “incorrect and closely punitive choice” to withhold the MGNREGs funds for West Bengal and depriving employees of wages due to alleged corruption and lapses by the state authorities.
“Accessible knowledge reveals that Bengal has been one of many best-performing states when it comes to implementation of the Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act (NREGA, 2005), the letter acknowledged. “Within the yr 2021-22, Bengal employed the very best variety of unskilled employees and created the second-highest variety of person-days, after Rajasthan, below the Act.”
Banerjee had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20 to debate the difficulty of the Centre’s excellent funds to the state.
“There’s a due of almost ₹1.16 lakh crore from Authorities of India on account of assorted Centrally Sponsored Schemes and pending claims for pure disasters over time. The excellent dues embrace ‘core of the core’ social schemes like MGNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Nationwide Well being Mission and so on.,” the Banerjee’s memorandum to the prime minister stated.
Additionally learn: Centre withholds Rs 7,000 crore ration funds from West Bengal as Modi’s photograph, scheme emblem lacking