August 7, 2024
Saket Gokhale’s Zero Hour mention on demanding to know the amount reimbursed to Bengal under MGNREGS, saying Rs 1.72 lakh crore has been withheld citing fake job cards when the MoRD website says 99.7% job cards are verified
Sir, we see a lot of advertisements of different Government schemes in the media or in the newspapers, and we also come across these advertisements when we go on the streets. All of them carry a massive picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi plastered everywhere. But the issue is that when we ask for data, the NDA Government becomes ‘No Data Available’ Government. _Ñ T^ हE KdS^ j^o QW ~eVU EUi`Pe हJ, ÜS QW ~eVU Lहù õPU हôà You will ask for total number of successful water connections, they will give you data regarding something completely different. It is quite unfortunate that the Finance Minister who was here till about 10 seconds ago has left the House. But, Sir, there is a specific issue with regard to data that I wish to bring up in this House. Sir, this Government contradicts itself even on claims of data, that is, Government data. I will give you an example from my State, West Bengal. Our funds under MNREGA were stopped in the year 2021, which incidentally also is the year when the BJP had a resounding defeat in West Bengal in the elections. After that, in 2021, after the BJP lost, हEUWU ELWe`U dU QôSU KWN^o dWLU ÑiH dW KHIUà The excuse given by the Government was that fake job cards have been found in West Bengal. When I went to the website of the Ministry of Rural Development, I found that on their own website, the Government data says that 99.7 per cent of job cards under MNREGA in West Bengal are found to be verified. 99.7 per cent job cards! Sir, my leader Abhishek Banerjee during his speech in the Lok Sabha had raised a point, which he had also first raised 140 days ago. He challenged the Finance Minister to give a White Paper showing whether a single penny under MNREGA and PM Awas Yojana has been given to West Bengal after the BJP’s humiliating defeat in 2021. Sir, 140 days ago, he raised it in his speech during discussion on Budget in the Lok Sabha. I raised it again in the Rajya Sabha in my speech. What is unfortunate is the response of this ‘No Data Available’ Government. In the Finance Minister’s response, she addressed everything, except for giving a response or giving a White Paper. It is a simple question whether money has been given to West Bengal since 2021 for MNREGA and Awas Yojana. Han ya na? It is very simple. Agr han to kitna paisa diya hain? What I don’t understand is why is the Finance Minister, who in her speech, read out data, read out tables, is not willing to answer such a simple point. Since 2021, how much has West Bengal been given? Why is she not taking up Abhishek Banerjee’s challenge? Why is the Finance Minister scared to do so? I will tell you the statistics. A total of 1.72 lakh crore rupees have been withheld from West Bengal since 2021. Sir, this has nothing to do with Trinamool Congress. This is money of the people of West Bengal. Please give a White Paper. This is my demand. Thank you.
