Page 3 - Mgnrega

TMC raises MGNREGA dues issue in Lok Sabha, minister alleges corruption

The Trinamool Congress on Monday alleged that the Centre has imposed an 'economic blockade' against the West Bengal government by blocking funds for schemes like MGNREGA and PM Awas Yojana as it demanded an immediate payment of the dues. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in response alleged corruption in handling of the central funds in the state and said a CBI enquiry has been ordered into the matter. Raising the issue in Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay said that an amount of around Rs 18,000 crore is pending due to the state. "Under MGNREGA, (PM) Awas Yojana, National Health Mission, all money allocated by government of India has been blocked since (sic) last two years, amounting up to Rs 18,000 crore," the TMC MP said. He also said that TMC MPs had come to meet the Minister of State for Rural Development Niranjan Jyoti in Delhi but she left without meeting them, and the lawmakers were later forcibly removed from the ministry's premises. "We MPs and our

Rural housing construction may be driving up MGNREGS costs, says ministry

Rs 35,000-40,000 crore of MGNREGS wages have already gone towards the construction of houses under PMAY-Gramin since it was revamped in November 2016

Extra NREGS funding may not be enough if work demand stays robust: Experts

Expenditure on the scheme has been around Rs 77,634 crore till October end

MGNREGS may get additional support of Rs 28,000 crore for FY24: Report

If cleared, the total outlay of MGNREGS will be at Rs 88,000, nearly around last year's actual expenditure of Rs 89,400 crore

Centre to save Rs 18,000 cr by removing fake accounts from welfare schemes

About 17.1 million duplicate or ineligible farmers receiving PM Kisan benefits and 3.3 million fake or duplicate MGNREGA beneficiaries have been removed

BJP threatens mega rally against corruption in MGNREGA in WB, TMC counters

BJP on Friday threatened to hold a massive rally in the city after Durga Puja against the alleged corruption in the utilisation of MGNREGA funds in rural Bengal. It provoked a sharp retort from the ruling TMC, which accused the saffron camp of diverting attention from legitimate demands for the release of overdue state funds. The state BJP indicated that the date and time of the proposed protest rally will be announced soon. West Bengal BJP president, Sukanta Majumdar said that the party will mobilise the underprivileged rural communities deprived of benefits of various central schemes due to the alleged corruption by local TMC leaders. "There are thousands of cases of corruption by local TMC leaders which have deprived the people of rural Bengal of the benefits of various central schemes, including housing under PM Awas Yojna and access to toilets under the Swachh Bharat scheme," he said. Majumdar's assertions followed TMC's protest in New Delhi and the five-day sit-in outside

TMC ends sit-in as Guv commits to take up MGNREGA dues issue with Centre

The five-day dharna' staged by the TMC outside the Bengal Raj Bhavan ended Monday after Governor CV Amanda Bose met the party's leader Abhishek Banerjee and gave an assurance of fulfilling his solemn responsibility" by addressing the issue of MGNREGA dues to the state. Bose had already met a TMC delegation in Darjeeling on Saturday and followed it up with Monday's meeting at Raj Bhavan where Banerjee was present. The dharna was to press for payment of Bengal's claims for central funds on account of various schemes including MGNREGA and housing for the poor. Banerjee, however, threatened to relaunch the agitation under TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee's leadership on November 1 if a satisfactory response on non-payment of MGNREGA wages to workers was not received. The central government had earlier claimed that there were discrepancies in West Bengal's accounts for the scheme and hence payments had been delayed. According to officials at the Raj Bhavan, a TMC delegation led by Abhishek

'Govt never deprived WB of MGNREGA, discrepancies present in utilisation'

Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Saturday asserted that the Centre has never deprived West Bengal of its MGNREGA dues and statistics of the last nine years prove that. The Union Minister of State for Rural Development, who was addressing a press conference here, however, alleged that there have been discrepancies in the utilisation of MGNREGA funds in the districts of the eastern state. Dismissing the TMC's allegations that she refused to meet the West Bengal ruling party's team in New Delhi for talks regarding MGNREGA dues, she said, "I wanted to meet them and waited for nearly two-and-a-half hours for them. But they kept shifting goalposts on the number of members of their delegation." "They are now leveling false allegations that I ran away through the back door. The TMC is spreading lies, they did not want to meet me, they just wanted to create drama," she claimed. She expressed her willingness to engage in talks with the TMC delegation anytime but questioned the West ..

No constraint of funds for rural job scheme MGNREGA, says Centre

The Union Rural Development Ministry on Thursday said there was no constraint of funds for the rural job scheme MGNREGA and reiterated that funds for West Bengal were not released due to non-compliance of central directives. In a statement, the ministry said, "Funds of State of West Bengal have been stopped from March 9, 2022 as per provision of Section 27 of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 due to non-compliance of directives of Central Government." The statement came on a day West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress conducted a march to the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata to protest against the Centre over MGNREGA dues. The TMC had also staged protests in Delhi on October 3 and 4 demanding release of funds by the Centre. In its statement, the ministry said that by October 4, Rs 56,105.69 crore out of the Rs 60,000 crore budget for the scheme has been released. "Availability of funds is not a constraint for the implementation of the programme," it said. The mini

West Bengal, Centre spar over unpaid MGNREGS and housing scheme funds

Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh hit back, alleging that West Bengal had issued 2.5 million fake MGNREGS job cards due to which crores of rupees of government funds were siphoned off

TMC to hold simultaneous protest in parts of Bengal over MGNREGA funds

The TMC, which plans to conduct protest programmes in New Delhi against the alleged withholding of state dues by the Centre on Monday, will simultaneously hold similar events in different parts of West Bengal, with live telecasts of the Delhi programme in various parts of the state. TMC MPs and state ministers will peacefully sit in at Rajghat on October 2, followed by a peaceful rally of MGNREGA job card holders in the national capital on the next day. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and other top leaders arrived in Delhi ahead of the planned protest against the alleged denial of MGNREGA and housing scheme funds to the Bengal government. "Just like the protest programme in New Delhi. We will also hold peaceful protest programmes, including live telecast of the Delhi programmes in various parts of the state," a senior TMC leader said. More than 50 busloads of TMC members and MGNREGA job card holders are expected to reach Delhi on Monday after the party alleged tha

People of Bengal ready for fight in Delhi: TMC MP over MGNREGA protest

Banerjee was summoned by the ED on October 3 in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cash-for-school job scam

TMC to transport MGNREGA job cardholders to Delhi by special buses

The TMC has arranged special buses to ferry nearly five thousand MGNREGA job cardholders to Delhi for their scheduled protest programme next week against the alleged withholding of funds by the Centre, a party leader said on Saturday. Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee announced on Friday that his party would make alternative arrangements for transporting its supporters to Delhi for the October 3 protest programme, accusing the BJP of creating roadblocks after the request for a special train was denied. "As we were denied a special train, we have made alternate arrangements for special buses to transport the MGNREGA workers to Delhi. Since the buses will be travelling through BJP-ruled states, we are also arranging for pilot cars to ensure the safety and security of the MGNREGA job cardholders," a senior TMC leader stated. According to TMC sources, every bus will also have a TMC leader and activists to take care of the 100-day job cardholders. "Special arrangements for emergency .

'Stop me if you can': TMC's Abhishek Banerjee challenges ED summons

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said that the fight against the deprivation of West Bengal and its rightful dues shall persist regardless of the obstacles

Abhishek Banerjee to hold meeting with party workers on Delhi programme

Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee will hold a virtual meeting with party workers later this week to decide on protests across districts in West Bengal, simultaneous to its proposed programmes in New Delhi next month against the alleged withholding of funds by the Centre for the state under the MGNREGA and other schemes. The date of the virtual meeting is yet to be decided but is likely to be held either on "Thursday or Friday", a party leader said. Banerjee, the party's national general secretary, and TMC MPs, MLAs and leaders from the districts will pay their respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the national capital on October 2 on his birth anniversary. Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who was supposed to attend the programmes in New Delhi, might not go there as she was advised 10 days of rest by doctors after she suffered an injury on her left knee during a recent trip to Spain and Dubai. A TMC delegation will meet Union Minister for Rural Development and ..

Only 3.62% of Rajasthan's workers registered to Centre's pension scheme

Four years since its launch, the Rajasthan authorities have managed to enrol less than five per cent of its unorganised workers in the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana

TMC again seeks permission to protest over withholding of MGNREGA funds

The Trinamool Congress has written fresh letters to the Delhi Police, seeking permission to hold demonstrations at three places in the national capital in early October to protest against the alleged withholding of funds under the rural jobs scheme by the Centre for West Bengal. TMC's Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien wrote three letters on September 6 to DCP Parliament Street Police station, New Delhi, seeking permission to organise dharnas at Jantar Mantar, outside Krishi Bhavan and in front of Union agriculture minister Giriraj Singh's residence on October 2 and October 3. In the letters, O'Brien requested the Delhi Police for permission for the Trinamool Congress to hold dharnas, involving workers from the state of Bengal, who have been denied wages under the MGNREGA scheme from 10 am to 6 pm on October 2 and 3 at Jantar Mantar, Krishi Bhavan and outside the minister's residence. TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will lead the protests in New Delhi. The ruling par

MGNREGS work demand increases 20% on low August rains, shows data

This does not include the COVID-impacted years of 2020-21 and 2021-22 when work demand for August was higher

Deadline for mandatory use of Aadhaar-based payment for MGNREGS is Aug 31

The deadline for implementing Aadhaar-based payment system as the only mode of payment to workers under national rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGS will not be extended beyond August 31, government sources said. The Union government in January this year made the use of Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS) mandatory for paying wages to those enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The initial deadline for the mandatory adoption of ABPS mode was February 1, which was later extended to March 31, then till June 30, and eventually till August 31. However, officials in the rural development ministry said the deadline will not be extended any further as over 90 per cent of active workers' accounts have already been linked with Aadhaar. According to a statement issued by the ministry in June, out of the total 14.28 crore active beneficiaries, Aadhaar number has been seeded with 13.75 crore. A total of 12.17 crore Aadhaar numbers have been ..

Modi govt owes MGNREGA wages to 18 states, UTs: Mallikarjun Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday claimed that the Modi government still owes Rs 6,366 crore in MGNREGA wages to 18 states and union territories in the country even after a one third cut in its budget. He also lauded the flagship rural employment guarantee programme MGNREGA introduced by the Congress on this day in 2005. "On this day in 2005, our Congress-UPA Government enacted MGNREGA to ensure 'Right to Work' to crores of people," he said. "Even though Modi Government has cut MGNREGA's budget by 33%, this year and it owes Rs 6,366 crore in MGNREGA wages to 18 States and Union Territories, yet this flagship programme started by the Congress party still supports 14.42 crore active workers, more than half of them are women," Kharge said on X. "MGNREGA was a lifesaver during the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and acted as safety net to crores of workers, making up for 80% of their income loss during the pandemic," he also said. The Congress also said that on