TMC delegation to meet Union Minister Giriraj Singh to discuss issues concerning MGNREGA

Amid the ongoing tussle between the BJP-led Central government and the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government over the release of funds under the MGNREGA scheme, a 10-member delegation of TMC MPs will be meeting Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday to discuss the prevailing issues related to the alleged "non-release of funds" under the scheme to West Bengal for the last few months.

In a statement issued by the ruling party in Bengal, the delegation will be led by its Lok Sabha leader Sudip Bandopadhyay and would meet Singh to discuss pending issues on the rural employment programme among other matters.

"A 10-MP delegation of AITC led by Sudip Bandopadhyay, Leader of the AITC parliamentary party in Lok Sabha, will meet Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, on June 16 at 2 pm to discuss pending issues relating to MGNREGA among others," the statement read. 

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 or MGNREGA is Indian labour law and social security measure which is aimed at enhancing the livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to people in a financial year.

TMC's allegation on non-release of MGNREGA funds

Notably, this came days after TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been alleging that the Centre is not releasing the funds for the MGNREGA programme for over three months. She had also advised setting up a "crisis management fund" to pay the salaries of the people working under the 100 days work scheme. 

Banerjee, who was addressing an administrative review meeting at Kharagpur in Paschim Medinipur district last month said, "For the last four months, people are not getting their salary under the 100 days work scheme. The primary reason is that the Centre has not given us the funds for it. We have not got what we are supposed to get. As a result, poor people are facing a crisis...In this situation, I will ask the chief secretary to find out a plan."

Apart from that, the TMC had also carried out rallies across the state in protest against the delay in releasing funds which amount to up to Rs 6,000 crore as owed to Bengal under the scheme. 

(Image: PTI/ANI)