December 26, 2023, marked two years since the Union government stopped funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to West Bengal.
The last time the Centre had released funds was on December 26, 2021. With the stoppage of funds, the employment guarantee scheme in the State came to a complete halt affecting over two crore job cardholders. The Union government decided to stop payments for MGNREGS in the State by invoking Section 27 of the NREGA Act alleging widespread corruption. The Section points out that the Centre may order the stoppage of funds and institute appropriate remedial measures for its proper implementation within a reasonable period of time.
