5 months ago
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In a melodramatic rejection of the Union Government’s conditions to resume the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) strategy successful West Bengal aft a three-year gap, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee publically tore up the Centre’s enactment connected the contented connected Tuesday (December 9, 2025).
“This is an bid from the Centre. I americium tearing it up. I deliberation it is an insult, disrespectful,” the Chief Minister said, addressing a nationalist gathering successful the State’s Cooch Behar district.
“Day earlier yesterday, we received a missive stating that starting December 6, we indispensable taxable a quarterly labour budget. They person imposed a restrictive condition. But wherever is the clip to amusement it? This is December, and the predetermination is owed aboriginal adjacent year. Then they said grooming has to beryllium provided,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The Centre had suspended the 100-day enactment strategy successful the State successful March 2022, alleging corruption successful its implementation. Earlier this year, the Calcutta High Court had directed some the State and Union governments to resume the strategy from August 1. The Supreme Court dismissed the Centre’s entreaty connected September 27, directing that the strategy beryllium resumed successful the State. Despite appeals by agriculture unions, however, the strategy has yet to beryllium resumed.
‘Don’t privation your mercy’
At the nationalist gathering connected Tuesday (December 9), the Chief Minister said that West Bengal does not privation to beryllium connected the mercy of the Centre. “I accidental this portion of insubstantial is valueless. We volition travel backmost to power. Under Karmashree, we are providing 70 days of work. We volition summation it to 100 days. We don’t privation your mercy. That is wherefore I americium tearing the note. I consciousness it is disrespectful,” the Trinamool Congress chairperson told the gathering. Karmashree is simply a strategy introduced by the West Bengal Government to supply agrarian employment successful the State.
Ms. Banerjee besides claimed that a ample sum of wealth remains pending from the Centre nether the agrarian jobs scheme. The blocked funds are among the cardinal issues highlighted by the Trinamool Congress portion targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government astatine the Centre. The BJP has responded by saying that determination is important corruption successful the implementation of specified schemes successful the State.
West Bengal has witnessed a immense migration of agrarian workers implicit the past fewer years, owed to the deficiency of jobs successful the State. The State’s NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has threatened protests if the strategy is not resumed by the extremity of this month.
