A fresh controversy over MGNREGA has arisen after hundreds of vendors, who have supplied materials, staged a protest near Uttarkanya, the branch secretariat in Siliguri today.
Vendors from eight districts of north Bengal rallied, intending to march to Uttarkanya to demand payments pending since 2020.
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When the police prevented them from marching, they staged a protest in the nearby Fulbari area. With police assistance, a delegation submitted a memorandum to an official at Uttarkanya.
According to the vendors, nearly Rs 5 crore in payments is pending in each district since the financial year 2020-21.
The agitators have announced that if they do not receive a positive response from the state government, they will march to Nabanna, and eventually to Delhi to demand the pending dues.
Speaking to reporters, Abhijit Biswas, a leader of the North Bengal MGNREGA Vendors’ Association, said, “We are on the brink of extinction as the government has not yet cleared payments for materials supplied for the 100-day job scheme. Since 2020, payments have not been made by the government. In each district, at least Rs 5 crore is due.”
“We have been caught in the middle of the ongoing blame game between the central government and the state government. The Centre blames the state for the lack of a proper utilization certificate, while the state government alleges that the Centre has stopped funding the 100-day job scheme,” Mr Biswas added. “As the state government has made payments to 100-day job cardholders from its own sources, why should vendors be deprived of their legitimate claims?”
Mr Biswas also disclosed that they had supplied several items as materials, including bricks, sand, cement and iron rods.
