Jalpaiguri dist: Work under MGNREGA comes to a halt as Centre freezes funds

Dibyendu Sinha | MP | 7 Aug 2023 | Jalpaiguri: Due to withholding of funds, approximately 31,788 projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Jalpaiguri district remain incomplete. 

This situation has not only affected the progress of these projects but has also left hundreds of thousands of local residents and beneficiaries in a state of uncertainty. Individuals engaged in MGNREGA are to work for 100 days under the scheme. 

Some were involved in tasks such as constructing animal sheds, fish ponds, and rubber plantations. 

However, all these activities have now come to a grinding halt. The Jalpaiguri district cell of MGNREGA recently informed that funds have been suspended since December 2021, resulting in an outstanding amount of approximately Rs 218 crore. The exact timeline for the Central government’s disbursement of these funds remains unclear. Consequently, all ongoing schemes under this project have been suspended. 

Jalpaiguri district magistrate Moumita Godara acknowledged that the situation is not unique to the district but is prevalent across the state. 

The higher authorities have been informed about the project’s status in the district. Under the MGNREGA project, initiated in 2006, Jalpaiguri district had witnessed 193,000 projects till December 2021. 

These include setting up kitchen gardens in primary schools, constructing Anganwadi houses, developing rural roads, implementing flood control measures, land development, micro-irrigation, irrigation of traditional water bodies as well as activities like rubber cultivation, fish farming systems, and establishing goat and chicken farms upon request. 

Unfortunately, due to the lack of funds, around 31,788 of these projects have remained incomplete for the past two years. 

This situation is prevalent across every block in the district, with the Jalpaiguri Sadar Block accounting for 13,064 unfinished projects. Suren Chhetri from Matiali block highlighted that they were meant to build a goat farm based on their application. 

The work commenced but was eventually halted due to the scarcity of funds. Similarly, Karim Ali, who started tea cultivation in Rajganj block, faced a similar scenario. Central government withholding funds has led to the abandonment of many of these projects. 

As a result, local residents are being deprived of the intended benefits of the MGNREGA. Affected individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with the Central government’s move towards MGNREGA project funding in West Bengal. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/jalpaiguri-dist-work-under-mgnrega-comes-to-a-halt-as-centre-freezes-funds-528499