Kolkata: The Left Front Government in
West Bengal is among the worst performing states in providing
work to rural people under the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said
on Thursday.
"West Bengal is among the states which are lagging
behind in implementing the scheme," he told a convention of
Pradesh Mahila Congress here and pointed out that the state
had failed to provide 100 days work to the rural poor as
mandated under the Act.
He pointed out that wages under the NREGA have been
increased from Rs 61 to Rs 100 which would lead to earnings of
Rs 10,000 annually "irrespective of qualification".
Mukherjee, who is the West Bengal Pradesh Congress
Committee chief urged party workers to pinpoint failures in
implementation of the scheme at the block and panchayat
levels.
Regretting that funds and budgetary allocations were
not being used and returned at the end of the financial year,
he said "It is necessary that the funds being sent from the
Centre to the states for various schemes should be utilised."
Mukherjee said banks should give priority in giving
advances and credit to women self-help groups for business as
part of its women empowerment goals.
"I have given instructions to the chairmen of banks
and they are reporting to me on the progress," he said.
All India Mahila Congress chief Prabha Thakur alleged
that crimes against women were increasing under the Left rule
in the state.
"There have been rising cases of crime against women
in Bengal under the Left Front rule for the past 33 years. The
women in Bengal are subjected to torture in various forms,"
she alleged.
Thakur also claimed that the benefits of the Left
Front Government's development work was reaching only those
supporting the ruling party.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 31, 2009, 15:51