States deprived of funds for MGNREGA, says CPI-M in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) in Lok Sabha today accused the government of "dismantling" the national rural employment guarantee scheme by "depriving" states of funds meant for it.

"This government is dismantling MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), CPI(M) member from Tripura, Sankar Prasad Dutta, said raising the matter during Zero Hour.

He said that of the budget estimate of Rs 40,000 crore earmarked for the current financial year, "only Rs 20,428 crore have been released. There is no mention how the residual amount will be spent. Lakhs of rural poor are being affected."

Of the 100 mandays of employment to be generated through the scheme, only 32 mandays have been generated, while the Rural Development Ministry has issued an advisory to all states that it would now on be implemented in only about 2,000 out of 70,000 blocks in the country, Dutta said.

As he demanded a full-fledged discussion on MGNREGA in the House and said thousands of rural poor were protesting in the national capital on the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, "There is no question of diluting MGNREGA."

To this, Dutta said Tripura was among the worst affected as only Rs 300 crore has been granted to it though the state government was the top-most implementor of the scheme as per official records.

After Dutta's submission, the CPI(M) members staged a walkout.