Looking for a report from the Central authorities over the “non-release of funds” to the West Bengal authorities underneath the Mahatma Gandhi Nationwide Rural Employment Assure Act (MGNREGA), the Calcutta Excessive Court docket on Tuesday directed the Centre to conduct a correct investigation in order that the beneficiaries of the scheme don’t get disadvantaged. The Excessive Court docket additionally stated that if the West Bengal wished to concern an announcement, they’ve to tell about it inside every week.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hirnamay Bhattacharya on Tuesday directed the Union authorities to file its detailed report by June 20. The state authorities, then again, has been advised to file its counter-reply within the type of an affidavit inside seven days from the receipt of the central authorities’s report.The Excessive Court docket’s path got here in the course of the listening to of a petition filed by the West Bengal Agriculture Employees’ Affiliation, which has stated that the fee to MGNREGA employees has stopped for the final couple of months. The Affiliation stated as per guidelines the fee underneath the 100-day job scheme is meant to be credited to the accounts of job card holders.
On Tuesday, the state authorities’s counsel advised the Bench that though the Centre is meant to offer funds underneath the MGNREGA scheme, it has stopped paying to the state authorities for the previous couple of months. “Due to this fact, the state authorities is unable to pay the identical to the job card holders,” the federal government counsel advised the Excessive Court docket.Nonetheless, the Centre’s counsel advised the court docket that for the previous couple of years, there had been extreme misuse of funds despatched to the state by the Centre underneath MGNREGA. The Centre’s counsel stated funds will likely be launched if the Centre is “glad with the reason given by the state authorities on this depend”.
The court docket’s instructions come amid a raging disagreement between the Trinamool Congress authorities in West Bengal and the BJP-led Centre over the non-release of central funds to the state. The state authorities, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has repeatedly accused the Centre of “discriminative” behaviour in the direction of West Bengal and depriving individuals of their rights.
The matter will come up for listening to within the Excessive Court docket subsequent month.
