Bengal Govt To Pay 21 Lakh MGNREGA Workers Their Wages Kept Pending By Centre, Says CM Mamata Banerjee

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's announcement came a day after she started a two-day protest demanding the release of central dues pending to the West Bengal government for different welfare schemes.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 3 February 2024 6:00 pm

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Photo: PTI

A day after starting a two-day protest seeking the release of central dues pending to the West Bengal government, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced her government will pay 21 lakh MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers their pending wages by February 21. It has been told that the dues will be transferred to their respective bank accounts.

"The state government will clear the dues of 21 lakh MGNREGA workers, whose wages have been kept pending by the Central government for the past two years. Their wages will be transferred to their bank accounts by February 21," she said.

Refuting the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the delay in submission of Utilisation Certificates, the chief minister also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

As per media reports, the Chief Minister said the "erroneous" report would create a "misleading picture" and was being used by some people for "false propaganda against the state administrative machinery".

The TMC chief also noted that it was reported in the CAG's State Finance Audit Report for 2020-21 that there was a delay in the submission of Utilisation Certificates of Rs 2,29,099 crore from 2002-03 to 2020-21.