Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said that the central government remains fully committed to the development of West Bengal and the Ministry of Rural Development alone has allocated over ₹1.10 lakh crore to the state under various schemes since 2014-15.
Chouhan clarified that ₹16,505 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), ₹25,798 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), ₹274 crore under Deendayal Upadhyay Gramin Kaushalya Yojana and RSETI, ₹54,465 crore under MGNREGA (from 2014-15 to 2022), ₹3,881 crore under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), and ₹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.
“These figures clearly show the Centre is leaving no stone unturned to transform the lives of the poor in West Bengal, whether it is through pucca houses, roads, livelihoods, or employment,” the minister said.
However, Chouhan alleged serious irregularities in the implementation of some central schemes by the state government. Citing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), he said that between 2019 and 2022, central teams investigated 19 districts of West Bengal and found massive irregularities, including non-existent work at worksites, splitting of works in violation of rules, and 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.
Chouhan also raised concerns over Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-G), claiming that complaints were received about the selection of ineligible families, exclusion of eligible beneficiaries, and changes to the scheme’s name in violation of rules. He said these allegations were confirmed by central monitoring teams.
“Despite repeated requests, the West Bengal government has not taken any concrete steps for reform or transparency. Unfortunately, the state government has completely failed in trust, responsibility, and transparency,” Chouhan said, adding that the central government remains committed to the development, welfare, and rights of the people of West Bengal.