‘Mamata government failed NREGA test’

Significantly,the central scheme has not been properly implemented in the 23 Blocks of the LWE region,which includes West Midnapore,Purulia and Bankura. The official records of the NREGA performance show tremendous deterioration in these blocks which need such work the most. The number of households which were provided with employment till now is 1,43,863,while the projection was 2,15,795 this year,3,03,194 in 2010 and 2,35,149 in 2009.

Significantly,three of these districts remained under the media and policy scanner for the last three years for the Naxalite violence in the area which led several youths to became Naxal cadres in acute poverty and in absence of any employment.

The NREGS envisages provision of a minimum of 100 days’ employment at minimum wages to each rural household on demand in the selected districts.

Only about 77 households have completed 100 days’ employment till November while a total of 1,100 are expected to have completed 100 days by the end of the year,which is less than 1 per cent of the total households which are supposed to be provided with work,claimed an NGO — Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS),which has completed a survey on the NREGA implementation in the region.

On February 2,the sixth anniversary of the MGNREGA,while the UPA II government organised a VIP- studded programme in Delhi to celebrate its achievements,MGNREGA workers in West Bengal protested to draw attention to non-implementation issues.

The protests held were part of a national programme organised by the New Trade Union Initiative,a national centre of independent trade unions. Nearly 150 members of the PBKMS and Shramajivi Mahila Samity (SMS) blocked the offices of the Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development,Subrata Mukherjee,and his principal secretary,Saurabh Das and demanded better implementation of the programme.