MGNREGA Funds Row: Tamil Nadu Outpaces UP, Bengal Faces Misappropriation Heat
MGNREGA Funds Row: Tamil Nadu Outpaces UP, Bengal Faces Misappropriation Heat, Govt Tells Lok Sabha
A fiery Lok Sabha session unfolded Tuesday as Union Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani revealed that Tamil Nadu, with a population of 7 crore, has received over Rs 10,000 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in a single fiscal year—surpassing Uttar Pradesh, home to 20 crore people, which got a similar amount.
The disclosure, made during Question Hour, triggered a storm of protests from DMK MPs, who accused the Centre of delays in releasing Rs 4,034 crore owed to their state for five months.
Pemmasani staunchly defended the Modi government, insisting there’s “no bias” in MGNREGA fund disbursal—a scheme guaranteeing 100 days of rural employment. “Tamil Nadu has already received Rs 7,300 crore this year,” he countered, noting that delays beyond 15 days, per the UPA-enacted law, mandate interest payments initially covered by states and reimbursed by the Centre.
His remarks drew ire from DMK and Trinamool Congress MPs, who stormed the Well of the House, joined by Congress and Samajwadi Party members in a show of solidarity. Speaker Om Birla’s pleas to depoliticize the issue fell flat, forcing a 15-minute adjournment.
The minister also spotlighted West Bengal’s rocky MGNREGA record, alleging “multiple missteps” including fund misappropriation and irregular contract awards. “An audit found 44 works with discrepancies; 34 were resolved, recovering Rs 2.39 crore of a Rs 5.37 crore shortfall,” he said, assuring a resolution once pending issues are addressed with Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Bengal’s funds have been frozen since December 2021 under Section 27 of the Act, with Rs 7,888 crore stalled amid corruption claims—a flashpoint for TMC’s ongoing protests.
Chouhan bolstered the defense, contrasting UPA’s Rs 111 crore for Bengal’s person-days (2006-14) with NDA’s Rs 54,515 crore for 239 crore person-days. “We’ve never discriminated—dues will clear soon,” he pledged. Kerala’s woes surfaced too, with Congress MP Adoor Prakash flagging a workforce dip due to Rs 811 crore in unpaid wages over three months.
Pemmasani assured Rs 3,000 crore has flowed this year, with more to come, citing a 43% wage hike since 2019—Haryana tops at Rs 374, while Kerala nears Rs 350.
The Centre’s spending flexibility shone through: Rs 1,10,000 crore released in 2020 against a Rs 61,000 crore estimate, and Rs 98,000 crore in recent years beyond the Rs 73,000 crore budget.
Yet, opposition cries of neglect—echoed in Kerala’s call for 150 workdays and inflation-linked wages—signal a deepening rift as MGNREGA’s rural lifeline frays under funding disputes.
