The Ministry stated that West Bengal is the sole state with uncleared, due, and admissible pending wage liabilities from the previous financial year (2024-25).
File Photo: ANI
The political confrontation over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) intensified on Tuesday following a Union Ministry of Rural Development revelation in the Lok Sabha.
The Ministry stated that West Bengal is the sole state with uncleared, due, and admissible pending wage liabilities from the previous financial year (2024-25).
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The admission came in a written answer by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development, Kamlesh Paswan, to an unstarred question (No. 1508) raised by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee.
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The Minister explicitly noted that all due and admissible pending wage liabilities up to FY 2024-25 for all States/UTs “have already been cleared (except in case of State of West Bengal).”
This distinction highlights the prolonged administrative and political stalemate. Since March 2022, the Centre has halted funds to West Bengal by invoking Section 27 of the MGNREGA Act, citing alleged widespread irregularities and non-compliance with Central directives.
While the Ministry confirmed that 97.96% of Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) this financial year (2025-26, as of December 5) were generated within the mandated 15 days across the country, underscoring overall system efficiency, West Bengal remains the critical exception.
The revelation immediately fueled counter-attacks from the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The question’s initiator, Abhishek Banerjee, has been a vocal critic, repeatedly alleging a politically motivated “economic blockade.”
In response to the central government’s statement, an unnamed TMC spokesperson asserted, “This answer in Parliament is nothing less than a deliberate admission of the Centre’s vindictive politics. They cannot deny the unpaid dues to the workers of Bengal any longer… The central government continues to weaponise the right to work against the people merely because they did not vote the ruling party to power.”
This echoes Banerjee’s previous strong accusations of the ruling party in New Delhi “snatching away the wages of the poor.”
Total Funds Released (FY 2025-26): Rs 69,972.95 crore (as on December 3) across all States/UTs. All MGNREGS wage payments are directly credited to beneficiaries’ accounts via the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) protocol.
The Ministry confirmed the existence of the Management Information System (MIS) portal (nrega.dord.gov.in) to track payments and delays, urging states to use these digital tools for swift disbursement.
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