Minister slams Centre for erratic flow of funds under MGNREGA

West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee today slammed the Centre for 'erratic flow of funds' under MGNREGA project to the state.
To a query during Question Hour in the state assembly, Mukherjee said that the Centre was just continuing with this project as it could not be stopped.
Mukherjee even said something was wrong with the way the Centre was handling the project.
During the year 2014-15 only 16.97 crore mandays were created in the state under this project against a target of at least 18 crore mandays, Mukherjee said, adding, that the state government's final target was to create 25 crore mandays.

Wages under this project has increased to some extent during last few years, even as the minister refrained from making any comment on better wages as this was an issue pertaining to the Centre.
He said funds are due to the state from the Centre because of which payment of wages to the workers could not be updated.
Replying to a supplementary question, the minister said that after the TMC government came to power the MGNREGA project in the state has been able to create much higher mandays compared to the time of erstwhile Left Front government.
To another question, the minister said that the state government has included 182 roads in Malda district alone under PMGSY scheme covering a stretch of 1,042 km which would incur a cost of about Rs 448 crore.