State to spend over Rs 2,560 cr to clear dues of about 57L MGNREGA workers by March 1

District Magistrates asked to make arrangements for effecting direct benefit transfer to the bank accounts of beneficiaries 

SOUMITRA NANDI, MP, 25 Feb 2024 : The state government, from Monday, will begin disbursement of due wages for MGNREGA workers who were deprived by the Centre due to the fund blockade imposed on Bengal. 

As per estimates by the state Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) department, the total amount that will be paid out to the job card holders in 23 districts across the state will be over Rs 2,560 crore. 

The District Magistrates have been asked to make arrangements for effecting direct benefit transfer (DBT) to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries by March 1. 

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had promised from a distribution programme at Suri in Birbhum, last Sunday that the job card holders who have been deprived of their wages for 100 days work by the Centre will be paid by the state and the disbursement will start from February 26. 

She informed that 24.5 lakh job card holders will be paid. 

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee too assured on Sunday that all due wages be paid by March 1. He also announced that on March 10 a mega rally will be held at Brigade Parade Ground to raise voice against BJP-led Centre’s “oppression”. 

Pradip Mazumdar, state P&RD minister, said that in a number of cases, against a single job card there are multiple workers in a single family who have been involved in 100 days’ work. As per calculations, the total number of individuals who will be receiving the benefits will be nearly 57 lakh. 

“We will ensure that every single person who has done 100 days’ work gets their share of wages. After the first two days of DBT, we will call up the beneficiaries to confirm whether the benefits have been actually transferred to their bank accounts,” Mazumdar said. 

According to the sanction order of the P&RD department, South 24-Parganas will get the highest allocation of Rs 346.12 crore, followed by West Midnapore with Rs 281.13 crore and Cooch Behar with Rs 221.91 crore. 

The allocation for East Midnapore has been Rs 190 crore, that for Alipurduar has been Rs 156 crore, for Malda Rs 149 crore, for Birbhum Rs 136 crore, for North 24-Parganas Rs 126 crore, for Purulia Rs 118 crore, for Murshidabad Rs 111 crore, for Bankura Rs 103 crore to name a few. 

The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is also all set to disburse due payment for work under the MGNREGA scheme in the GTA area from February 26 and will be completed by March 1. 

Along with the rest of the state, the state government has sanctioned Rs 129 crore to the GTA for this. “The state government has sanctioned Rs 129 crore 42 lakh and 89 thousand 728 for GTA for 100 days’ work. 

The payment will start from February 26, and it will be completed by March 1, 2024. This amount was supposed to come from the Central government but they have stopped our money. MP Raju Bista talking to media persons had clearly boasted that he has stopped the payments of our MGNREGA. 

On behalf of the people of GTA, I thank CM Mamata Banerjee for addressing the woes of people,” stated Anit Thapa, Chief Executive, GTA 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/state-to-spend-over-rs-2560-cr-to-clear-dues-of-about-57l-mgnrega-workers-by-march-1-553549