Calcutta High Court directs Centre to resume MGNREGS work in Bengal
The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the Union government to immediately resume work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in West Bengal, The Indian Express reported.
In March 2022, the Union rural development ministry had suspended MNREGS funding to West Bengal, citing widespread irregularities and alleged violations of the scheme’s implementation rules by the state government.
West Bengal received Rs 7,507.8 crore in the financial year 2021-’22 under MNREGS but has received no funds in the following three financial years.
During the hearing, senior state counsel Kalyan Bandhopadhyay submitted that the pending wages of the workers must also be released by the Union government.
“The [Centre] is to pay the wages, but the state government has already disbursed some,” The Indian Express quoted Bandhopadhyay as saying. “There is around Rs 4,500 crore in arrears.”
However, Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty, appearing for the Union government, argued that there had been “absolute misappropriation of funds by the state” and said that an inquiry had already been conducted, the newspaper reported.
The court then directed the Union government to file its affidavit in opposition of the disbursement of pending wages within four weeks.
The petitioners have been given two weeks after that to submit their affidavit in reply.
The matter will be heard again once both submissions are filed.
Earlier on June 18, another...
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