Cloud over MGNREGS restart in Bengal as Centre yet to clear labour budget
According to sources, the West Bengal government had written to the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) seeking approval to its labour budget, but the same has not been done so far.
The labour budget is approved by the Empowered Committee headed by the Union Rural Development Secretary. States generate their demands for funds using NREGASoft, the management information system of the MGNREGS, only after this committee clears their labour budget proposals.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that the Central government is committed to the development of West Bengal and the welfare of its people. He alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government has 'failed miserably' in effectively implementing MGNREGS, but did not say anything about the resumption of the scheme in the state.
'From the year 2019 to 2022, Central teams visited 19 districts of West Bengal. During these visits, the Central teams found many anomalies and irregularities in the works of MNREGA in the state such as absence of work at the site, dividing the work into portions against the rules, misappropriation of funds… flouting rules and norms of MNREGA,' Chouhan said in a post on X.
'Due to these unethical actions of the state government, misuse of public money and lack of improvement in the system, the Ministry of Rural Development has stopped the release of funds of the state government under Section 27 of the MNREGA Act,' he said.
Under the MNREGS, the MoRD releases funds to states 'based on agreed labour budget'. Generally, the states' labour budget proposals are approved by the MoRD by the end of January or before the beginning of the financial year (April-March). In West Bengal's case, no labour budget has been approved after FY 2021-22 after the Centre suspended the implementation of the scheme in the state.
By invoking Section 27 of MGNREGA, 2005, the Centre had stopped release of funds to West Bengal with effect from March 9, 2022.
In an order on June 18, 2025, the Calcutta High Court directed that the 'scheme be implemented prospectively with effect from August 1, 2025'.
However, West Bengal officials say they have not received any intimation from the Centre about resumption of the scheme in the state. They have also been urging the ministry to approve of the labour budget but the same has not happened yet, said an official.
The ministry officials have maintained silence so far on the issue of Bengal. Asked whether the MoRD challenged the June 18 order of the Calcutta HC, the officials did not respond. They also did not respond to queries on non-approval of Bengal's labour budget.
According to sources, the Centre has not yet challenged the court order yet. On July 22, Union Minister Chouhan told the Lok Sabha that the High Court order is 'being studied in the ministry to decide further course of action'.
In January this year, West Bengal's Rural Development Minister Pradip K Mazumdar wrote a letter to Chouhan, seeking an appointment for a meeting, which has not happened so far. Earlier, multiple meetings between the Centre and West Bengal government officials have taken place but the issue has not been resolved till date.
Before the Centre suspended the MGNREGS in March 2022, West Bengal figured among the top performers with 51 lakh to 80 lakh families in the state availing of the scheme annually between 2014-15 and 2021-22. The data available on the NREGS portal shows that the number of households working through the rural job guarantee scheme stood at 51 lakh in 2014-15, 61 lakh in 2015-16, 58 lakh in 2016-17, 52 lakh in 2017-18, 43.89 lakh in 2018-19, 54.57 lakh in 2019-20, 79.64 lakh in 2020-21 and 75.97 lakh in 2021-22.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
4.08 crore LPG connections blocked to curb misuse of subsidy
The Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG (DBTL) of the Centre, under which domestic cooking gas subsidy is paid into the bank account of consumers has helped block, suspend or deactivate 4.08 crore duplicate, fake/non-existent or inactive liquefied petroleum gas connections. The DBTL or PAHAL scheme has played a crucial role in identifying and blocking 'ghost' accounts, multiple accounts, and inactive LPG connections, thus curbing diversion of subsidised LPG for commercial use, Petroleum Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. Sharing details as on July 1, 2025, the Minister said the scheme, whose implementation began in January 2015, has contributed to transparent and effective disbursal of subsidies across the country. Besides the scheme, other initiatives like Aadhaar-based verification, biometric authentication and the weeding out of ineligible or duplicate connections resulted in significantly strengthening the system of transfer of targeted subsidies. All domestic LPG cylinders are sold at non-subsidised prices and the subsidy transferred directly to the respective bank accounts under the DBTL scheme, he said. Common database The government has also introduced a Common LPG Database Platform (CLDP) through which duplicate connections are identified and removed from the database. Deduplication is carried out using Aadhaar number, bank account details, AHL TIN number, ration card details, name, and address as key parameters. Aadhaar-based authentication for DBT schemes enables accurate, real-time and cost-effective identification, authentication and de-duplication of beneficiaries, ensuring targeted delivery of benefits. Public sector oil marketing companies have been advised to undertake and complete biometric Aadhaar authentication of PMUY and PAHAL beneficiaries. As of July 1, biometric Aadhaar authentication has been completed for 67% of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) beneficiaries. All new PMUY consumers have to undergo biometric authentication before release of connections, a release from the Ministry on Mr .Puri's reply said. Out of a total 33.05 crore active LPG consumers, 92.44% have their Aadhaar seeded in the OMCs' database. 86.78% of the total 30.63 crore DBTL consumers are Aadhaar-transfer compliant. While most subsidy transactions are completed successfully within two days of refill delivery, certain issues have led to transaction failures, including deseeding of Aadhaar from bank accounts, bank mergers, inactive Aadhaar numbers and account closures or transfers. Focused efforts are being made to ensure all consumers become Aadhaar transfer compliant, the Minister added.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Big boost for Indian Armed Forces: DAC clears ₹67,000 crore proposals to enhance operational capability
The Defence Acquisition Council under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday cleared proposals worth nearly ₹ 67,000 crore to enhance operational capability of armed forces, the Centre said. The proposals include several defence equipment requirements for the Indian Army, Navy and the Air Force. The DAC gave an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to the Indian Army to procure Thermal Imager-based Driver Night Sight for BMP. 'This would enhance night driving capability of BMP and provide higher mobility and operational advantage to the Mechanised Infantry,' the defence ministry said in a press release. The council, headed by Rajnath Singh, also accorded an AoN to the Indian Navy whereby it can procure the Compact Autonomous Surface Craft, and BrahMos Fire Control System and Launchers. A proposal to upgrade the BARAK-1 Point Defence Missile System was also cleared. The procurement of Compact Autonomous Surface Craft will provide the capability to the Indian Navy for detection, classification and neutralisation of threats in anti-submarine warfare missions, the Centre said. For the Indian Air Force, AoN for procurement of Mountain Radars and Upgradation of SAKSHAM/SPYDER Weapon System was accorded. The procurement of mountain radars will enhance the air surveillance capability along and across the borders in the mountainous region. The upgradation of the SAKSHAM/SPYDER System for integration with the Integrated Air Command and Control System will enhance the Air Defence capability, the ministry said. An AoN was accorded for procuring Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) for the three Services. The proposed MALE RPAs can carry multiple payloads & weapons and operate at longer ranges for long endurance missions. They will significantly enhance the round-the-clock surveillance and combat capability of the Armed Forces. In addition, DAC has also accorded AoN for the sustenance of C-17 and C-130J fleets and a comprehensive annual maintenance contract of the S-400 Long Range Air Defence Missile System.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
SC refers plea seeking lifetime ban on convicted MPs/MLAs to CJI
New Delhi, Aug 5 (UNI) The Supreme Court today took note of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking permanent disqualification of Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) upon conviction in criminal cases, and directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai for listing before an appropriate larger Bench. The PIL, filed by Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, challenges the constitutional validity of provisions under Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which currently bar convicted legislators from contesting elections only for six years after completing their sentence. Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria mentioned the matter before a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, urging for an early hearing. 'This is a matter of grave concern. Orders have been passed from time to time. The February 10 order requires that it be listed before a three-judge bench,' Hansaria submitted. The Bench acknowledged the urgency and referred to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the February 10, 2025 order passed by a Bench led by Justice Dipankar Datta, directing that the matter be placed before the CJI for further directions. The plea is now expected to be heard finally on October 20, subject to the CJI's listing. In February 2025, the Union government opposed the plea, arguing that a lifetime disqualification of elected representatives was a matter purely within the domain of Parliament and not for the judiciary to decide. The Centre, through the Legislative Department, maintained that while the court may declare a provision unconstitutional under its power of judicial review, it cannot rewrite legislation to substitute "lifetime" for "six years" as suggested by the petitioner. 'The relief sought effectively asks the Court to read 'lifetime' instead of 'six years' in all sub-sections of Section 8. This is unknown to judicial review and constitutional law,' the Centre submitted. The government emphasized that Parliament has the discretion to decide what duration of disqualification is appropriate, keeping in view principles of proportionality and reasonableness. 'It is one thing to say that Parliament has the power to impose a lifetime ban, and another to say that it must necessarily exercise that power in all cases,' it said. The Centre further argued that the PIL failed to distinguish between the basis for disqualification (i.e., conviction) and the effect of disqualification (i.e., its duration). It noted that Indian penal statutes often impose time-bound restrictions on rights and freedoms post-conviction, and that extending these indefinitely would be unduly harsh and disproportionate. 'At the end of the prescribed time, penalties cease to operate automatically. Deterrence is ensured, while undue harshness is avoided,' the government stated. It also reiterated that any direction to Parliament on how to draft or amend laws would be beyond the constitutional powers of the judiciary. The PIL raises a larger question regarding the criminalisation of politics, an issue repeatedly flagged by the Supreme Court in the past. The Court has, over the years, issued directions for the expeditious trial of criminal cases against lawmakers and for greater transparency in candidate disclosures. As the matter now heads to a larger Bench, the decision could have far-reaching implications for electoral reforms, legislative accountability, and the scope of judicial intervention in matters of legislative policy. UNI SNG AAB
