The Trinamool Congress insisted that if the funds were not released at the earliest, they would have to take the path of “andolan” (protest).
The Trinamool Congress insisted that if the funds were not released at the earliest, they would have to take the path of “andolan” (protest).
The Center and the TMC-ruled West Bengal government had a run-in on Thursday over pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) dues of Rs 7,130 crore that the central government has owed the state for the past five months.
The TMC insisted that if the funds are not released at the earliest, they will have to take the path of “andolan” (protest), while Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has claimed that the Center has refused to step in the state. Had done it. Program Guidelines.
A delegation of TMC MPs led by Lok Sabha floor leader Sudip Bandopadhyay met Mr Singh on Thursday. In a memorandum submitted to Mr Singh, the TMC has claimed that the money was not released despite “proper submission of accounts with utilization certificates by the state government for funds received earlier under MGNREGA”.
The party further said that the Center did not respond to any letter sent by the state government on the issue. “The people working under this scheme who should have been paid wages by the Center are not getting it for the last six months as the state government has not received any funds from the government to pay them. Our CM has also sent two letters to PM on this issue on 12th May and 9th June. Under the Act we cannot deny them payment for more than 15 days and yet their salaries are being withheld,” Mr Bandopadhyay said.
During a meeting, Mr. Bandopadhyay said that the minister assured to reply to the TMC memorandum within 48 hours. Mr. Bandopadhyay said, “We are hopeful that this will be resolved soon. Otherwise, in future, if we have to take the path of ‘movement’, we will do so.”
Meanwhile, Mr Singh dismissed the TMC’s argument and accused the state government of not following the guidelines that all other states are following. Speaking to reporters after meeting with the TMC delegation, Mr Singh said that the Center is committed to MGNREGA and has increased the budget for the program every year.
He said, “The funds for West Bengal have been withheld because they do not follow MGNREGA guidelines, they do not have any independent social auditor to ensure transparency and accountability. For three years, the Center has been repeatedly reminding them to follow the rules but there was no response from their side. Eventually we were forced to act.”