At a time when West Bengal politics seems to be centered around recovery of piles of cash in connection with a recruitment scam, two reports on hunger and denial of work and wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has revealed severe distress in rural areas of the State. The reports were released by civil rights activist at the Kolkata Press Club on Thursday.
While the Hunger Watch Report 2021 reported that 53 % of the respondents said that they skipped a meal, the non-payment of wages of MGNREGS for the past seven months has brought the scheme to complete halt.
