A delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs led by Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday tried to meet Union Minister Giriraj Singh and raise the issue of the pending Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) fund for workers in West Bengal.

But the delegation could not meet Giriraj Singh.

Talking to the media after not meeting the minister, Abhishek Banerjee said that we were not given any proper reason for his absence.

It seems that the minister does not have the answer to our question.

So he chose the easy way out and ran away.

Talking to reporters, Banerjee said, "We will not allow the 17 lakh families of Bengal to be deprived of their rights by the hands of the BJP."

Till the MNREGA fund is not released, we will keep raising our voice.

Without assurance, we will not leave.

We have not come here for tea and breakfast." He said party leaders had spoken to the minister and he was asked to meet him on Wednesday.

Banerjee said, “I was told that he has gone to Parliament today.

We came here when the proceedings of the Parliament were adjourned.

We will wait for 10-12 days and if they do not release the funds, we will hit the streets.

.@BJP4India, playing the game of truth & lies is not what we want!

We demand our DULY DESERVED FUNDS but have consistently received silence & absence.

Our Hon'ble MP Shri @abhishekaitc isn't afraid to challenge the authorities & fight for what's ours!

GIVE US OUR FUNDS!

pic.twitter.com/huhHcBnchz

— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 5, 2023

The Trinamool Congress delegation also submitted a memorandum on the issue after a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Rural Development.

The memorandum states that on May 12, 2022, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi focusing on the dues of the state under various central schemes.

It states that another letter on this subject was written on June 9, 2022.

Subsequently, a delegation of Trinamool MPs met the minister on June 16, 2022, on the issue. “We regret to inform you that despite repeated appeals, the dues to Bengal The amount has not been paid.

As of April 2023, Bengal's arrears under various schemes such as MGNREGA, PMGSY, PMAY (G) and NSAP are around Rs 12,300 crore.

The party also said that MGNREGA is a right guaranteed by an Act of Parliament and the central government cannot curtail people's rights by not sanctioning working days and delaying payments.

The memorandum said that the central government also needs to release all the funds due under the housing scheme so that Bengal no longer faces any hindrance in improving the standard of living of its people and providing adequate housing facilities. .

It states, “We urge you to repeal Section 27 of the MNREGA Act and take immediate action to release the dues to Bengal.

Also, the labor budget for 2022-23 and 2023-24 (for Bengal) requires your immediate action.

This will go a long way in alleviating the plight of 1.4 crore active wage earners and ensuring that poor families in Bengal do not lose their right to work.

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