Overview
- In a July 25 Rajya Sabha reply, Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan listed pending MGNREGA wage and material liabilities for 33 states and union territories but left out West Bengal.
- Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh denounced the omission as “extraordinary, unprecedented and unacceptable,” and TMC MPs called it proof of an “anti-Bengal mindset.”
- West Bengal’s MGNREGA funds have been suspended since March 2022 under Section 27 for non-compliance, halting benefits for about 2.5 crore rural workers.
- Official data shows an 8% rise in registered households under MGNREGA in 2024–25, yet average employment days per household and total workers both declined.
- After the Calcutta High Court ordered the scheme’s resumption on June 18, the Rural Development Ministry said it is studying the verdict to determine next steps.