December 3, 2025
Lok Sabha MP June Maliah’s Zero Hour mention on the Union government’s duty to pay the Bengal government the nearly Rs 2 lakh crore it owes, including the over Rs 43,000 crore for MGNREGS, as well as restore the latter scheme in the state
Thank you, Madam. Sorry my voice would not sound the normal way, thanks to the Delhi pollution. It has got the better of my voice. Madam, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the MGNREGA, has been stopped in West Bengal,
depriving nearly 59 lakh beneficiaries. Under the scheme, the Union Government continues to owe the State more than Rs. 43,000 crore in pending payments. The Calcutta High Court, in its recent judgment, directed the Union Government to resume MGNREGA Scheme operations in West Bengal by 1st August, 2025. Despite this clear order, the Union Government has neither restored the Scheme nor released the funds due to the State’s workers. Instead, it filed a petition before the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s order. In a way, even the Supreme Court stood with the Mamata Banerjee Government and upheld the decision on resumption of the MGNREGA Scheme. In total, the Union Government’s outstanding dues across various commitments amount to nearly Rs 2 lakh crore, Madam. Depriving States of their rightful dues, shatters the foundation of cooperative federalism and the very ethos of the Constitution. Thus, I request, I urge rather, the Union Government to restart the MGNREGA Scheme and disburse the amount owed at the earliest. Jai Bangla.
