In Pooncha block of Purulia, women MNREGA workers took out a rally demanding payment of pending wages. , Photo Credit: Debashish Bhaduri
Highlighting that it has been a year that wages have not been paid to MGNREGS workers in West Bengal, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha on Monday issued a press statement accusing the Center of “attacking MGNREGA”. Which is 100-day employment scheme for rural. families, and it also exposed the government’s lack of commitment to workers’ rights.
The last installment of wages to workers in West Bengal was released on December 26, 2021, and since then, according to the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, the Center is preventing the state from releasing an amount of over Rs 7,500 crore for MGNREGA. According to the morcha, out of ₹7,500 crore, ₹2,744 crore is unpaid wages.
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The Center has stopped funds to the state under Section 27 of the MGNREG Act, which indicates that the central government can order the scheme to stop release of funds and “take appropriate remedial measures for its proper implementation within a reasonable time”. can remedy”.
“Both the central and state governments are guilty of violating the fundamental right to life of 3.4 crore registered workers across the state. The denial of work and wages is also a violation against the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Swaraj Abhiyan case,” the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha’s press statement said that development has pushed poor workers to the brink of starvation.
Morcha workers also pointed out that non-payment of wages has severely impacted MGNREGS in the state, with the average working days falling from 63.46 days (pre-Covid) and 49.96 days (post-Covid) to 23 in the current year Huh. ,
Activists of Paschim Banga Khetamjur Samiti (PBKS), an independent trade union in West Bengal, staged protests at various places in the state on Monday, blocking roads, wearing black badges to observe it as ‘Black Day’. performed.
In West Bengal, the denial of wages to MGNREGS workers has assumed a political dimension with the ruling Trinamool Congress accusing the Center of discrimination. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had raised the issue several times, including during her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had questioned the state’s MGNREGS dues pending with the Centre. Mr Banerjee, while sharing the answer to his question in Parliament on 21st December, said that @BJP4India deliberately deprives the people of West Bengal by rejecting them. “The Center owes ₹10,162 crore in MGNREGS dues as on December 14. West Bengal owes ₹ 5,433 crore, which is more than 50% of the total dues of the states. Your numbers are not mine,” Mr Banerjee said.
The BJP leadership has accused the Trinamool Congress of large-scale corruption in the implementation of MGNREGA in the state. The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha also pointed out that with panchayat elections due in mid-2023, the Centre-state standoff over NREGA funds is taking a political colour.
“While the state claims that all corrective measures have been taken, the BJP at the Center is reluctant to release funds ahead of the panchayat elections. The victims in this political tussle are the workers who have been deprived of their salaries for the past one year.” said in the press statement.
Anuradha Talwar of the PBKS, one of the signatories to the press statement, said that while they encourage that measures should be taken to combat corruption and increase transparency, the morcha demands that “new works be started immediately”. Also, the MNREGA fund should be released immediately by the central government.” and issue of new job cards”.