West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on February 27 said if the Centre does not clear the dues of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by April 1, her government will build 11 lakh houses for the State’s poor.
“If the Centre does not release the funds for the Awas Yojana by April 1, then our government will build 11 lakh houses for the beneficiaries [who] have been enlisted. We will pay the money.... We are not beggars, what we are asking is our rightful dues,” Ms. Banerjee said while addressing a programme in Purulia district.
Also read | MGNREGS dues and migration, a year of tumult in Centre-State ties for Bengal
The announcement by the Chief Minister comes at a time when the State government is paying the pending MGNREGS wages to workers who have been waiting for over two years.
Noting that there were around 50 lakh MGNREGS beneficiaries in the State, Ms. Banerjee said, “They all will get money in the next few days.”
“They [the Centre] will have to answer during the elections why they did not pay MGNREGA dues to tribals in the State,” the Chief Minister said.
Purulia, located in the southwestern part of the State, is one of its most backward regions. The BJP had won the Purulia Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Ms. Banerjee also said that she inaugurated projects worth ₹362. 30 crore during the day.
