NEW DELHI: The TMC on Thursday demanded that the Centre immediately release Rs 7,130 crore that is due to the West Bengal government under the job guarantee scheme MGNREGA.
The party also said it will take the path of agitation if its demand is not met.
In a letter to Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh, TMC MPs said the department was not releasing the funds pending for over five months.
A delegation of party MPs also met Singh in Delhi and said these funds were pending despite the state government submitting proper accounts with utilisation certificates for the amount received earlier under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
"People working under this scheme who are supposed to be paid wages by the Centre are not getting it for the past six months because the state government has not received any fund from the government to pay them. Our chief minister has also sent two letters to the prime minister, dated May 12 and June 9, on the issue. Under the Act we cannot deny them payment for more than 15 days. But their wages are being stalled," TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said.
The party alleged that no fund or any response to the state's representations has been received from the ministry yet "which is beyond the ethics of the said scheme and the livelihood of the rural people in the state is suffering extremely."
"Considering the above circumstances, we would fervently request your honour to take the necessary action to release all pending dues of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to the state government to save the weaker section of the people of the state from being deprived of their due wages as well as further employment under the scheme," the MPs' letter stated.
According to the Centre there have been some issues in following the guidelines of the scheme by the state, Bandyopadhyay said.
"We requested the minister to look into the issue and not let the people suffer. The minister said that he will respond to our letter within 48 hours. He said the letter will have all the answers to our queries. He also said that there will be a joint meeting of the central and state officials so that the people do not suffer any more due to this. He said if necessary such a meeting can be held within the next 15 days."
"We hope that this is resolved soon otherwise in the future if we have to take the path of 'andolan" (protests) we will do so," he said.
Bandyopadhyay, however, added neither the minister nor the government was able to give any logical reason as to why the fund was not paid to the state on time.