TMC delegation holds talks with officials over MGNREGA fund dues

A delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs Wednesday held talks with Rural Development Ministry officials after being unable to meet Union Minister Giriraj Singh and raise the issue of pending MGNREGA funds for workers in West Bengal.

The delegation, led by Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, included Lower House member and TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mohua Moitra and Dola Sen among others.

"We will not let 17 lakh families of Bengal be deprived by the BJP. We will continue to raise our voices until MGNREGS funds are released. Without an assurance, we will not leave. We're not here for tea and snacks," Banerjee told reporters.

Banerjee said that party leaders had spoken to the minister and were asked to meet him on Wednesday.

"I was told that he went to Parliament today. We came here once it was adjourned. We will wait for 10-12 days and if they do not release the funds we will take to the streets," Banerjee said, adding that neither the minister nor the junior minister was available.

The TMC delegation, after a meeting with officials of the rural development ministry, submitted a memorandum on the issue.

The memorandum stated that on May 12, 2022, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi focusing on the outstanding dues owed to the state under various central schemes. It said that another letter on this subject was written on June 9, 2022.

Subsequently, a delegation of Trinamool MPs met the minister on June 16, 2022, over the issue.

"We regret to inform you that despite repeated appeals, the outstanding dues to Bengal have still not been cleared. As of April 2023, the dues owed to Bengal under various schemes such as MGNREGA, PMGSY, PMAY (G), and NSAP stand at approximately 12,300 crores," it said.

The party also said that MGNREGA is a right guaranteed by an Act of Parliament and the Union government cannot withhold the rights of the people by not sanctioning man-days (person-days) and delaying payments.

"The Union government also needs to release all the funds due under the Awas Yojana so that Bengal no longer faces any hurdle in improving the living conditions of its people and can provide adequate housing facilities."

"We urge you to take immediate action to revoke Section 27 of the MGNREGA Act and release the amount owed to Bengal. Also, the Labour Budgets for 2022-23 and 2023-24 (for Bengal) need your immediate action. This will go a long way to alleviate the plight of 1.4 crore active wage earners and ensure that poor households in Bengal do not lose their Right To Work," the memorandum said.