NEW DELHI, March 25: The Lok Sabha witnessed heated protests and repeated adjournments today over the alleged non-release of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA). Opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, and Trinamool Congress (TMC), disrupted proceedings during Question Hour, demanding the release of pending dues for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and other opposition-ruled states.
Responding to the uproar, Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani pointed to alleged irregularities in MGNREGA implementation in West Bengal and the diversion of funds. He also provided details of the funds disbursed to various states. Addressing concerns over Tamil Nadu’s dues, he stated that there is a provision for paying interest in case of delayed payments and confirmed that over ₹7,300 crore had already been released to the state.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reiterated the Centre’s commitment to paying all pending wages to MGNREGA workers, assuring that the government does not discriminate among states. He urged the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments to submit their compliance reports to facilitate the fund release.
However, opposition members remained unsatisfied with the response and continued their protests, leading to disruptions in the House. Speaker Om Birla intervened, stating that raising state-specific issues in a way that hinders Lok Sabha proceedings was inappropriate.
