Calcutta High Court today in a strong observation to the Centre’s counsel asked why the Centre had withheld the wages of a section of the people, who had done their work under the 100 days’ MGNREGA scheme.
The Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of Calcutta High Court observed that the court does not favour any illegal act but why a fraction of the people, who worked under the MGNREGA scheme, are denied wages?
In reply, the counsel for the Centre contended that the funds allotted for the 2021-22 financial year had already been exhausted but the state did not send compliance reports but instead fake job cards were procured. Due to lack of transparency, the funds had been put on hold.
To this, the court also asked the state to take steps to fund the wages being put on hold by the Centre till such date the Centre finishes its examina- tion of the compliance report by the state.
The Chief Justice also observed that it was the duty of both the state and the dis- trict administrations to lend cooperation to help facilitate the sending of compliance report to get the process done till then it was the duty of the state to protect the interest of the workers by way of funding.