India, Aug. 4 -- The Government of India issued the following news release:
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the central government is fully committed to the development of West Bengal, the welfare of villages, the poor and workers, and bringing positive change in their lives. He said that from 2014-15 till now, the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, alone has given more than rs 1.10 lakh crore to West Bengal through various schemes.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan clarified that rs 16,505 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), rs 25,798 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), rs 274 crore under Deendayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushalya Yojana and RSETI, rs 54,465 crore under MGNREGA (from 2014-15 to 2022), rs 3,881 crore under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), and rs 8,389 crore under National Social Assistance Program (NSAP), have directly reached the poor and needy in West Bengal. He said these figures clearly show that the central government is leaving no stone unturned in transforming the lives of West Bengal's villages, the poor and workers, whether it is a pucca house, road, livelihood or employment.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh said that the West Bengal government has badly failed in effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Between 2019 and 2022, central teams investigated 19 districts of West Bengal and found massive irregularities in MGNREGA works. These included no actual work at the workplace, splitting of works in violation of rules, and serious issues like misappropriation of funds. As a result, the Ministry of Rural Development had to stop releasing funds to West Bengal under Section 27 of the MGNREGA Act.
Union Minister Shri Shivraj Singh said that in the case of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana too, complaints were received that the state government selected ineligible families, removed eligible ones and changed the name of the scheme while disregarding the rules. All these complaints were found to be correct by national and central monitoring teams.
Union Minister Shri Chouhan further said that despite repeated requests, the West Bengal state government has not taken any concrete steps for reform or transparency. Unfortunately, the West Bengal government has completely failed in trust, responsibility, and transparency. The central government was and will remain committed to the development, welfare, and rights of the people of West Bengal.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
