Kolkata: With a fresh sanction of Rs 944
crore from the Centre, the West Bengal government has received
about Rs 2500 crore under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), state Panchayat and
Rural Development Minister Anisur Rahaman said here on Wednesday.
"After my conversation over phone with the Union Rural
Development Minister C P Joshi and his Minister of State Sisir
Adhikari yesterday, I received a fax about the release of Rs
944 crore by the Centre under MGNREGS", Rahaman said.
"With this, the state government has so far received
Rs 2500 crore. The state government is yet to receive Rs 1000
crore more from the Centre under MGNREGS", he said.
Rahaman had criticised the Centre yesterday for its
delay in releasing the fund under MGNREGS.
Rahaman also spoke with Union Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee who had assured him to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, Rahaman demanded that the Centre set up a
National Institute of Panchayati Raj in West Bengal in line
with the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad.
A proposal in this regard has already been sent to the
Centre for setting up the institute, Rahaman said adding the
state was ready to give land required for the purpose for free
of cost at Kalyani in Nadia district.
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee also wrote a
letter to the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in this
regard, he said.
Rahaman said such an institute will provide facilities
with research, planning and training programmes.
PTI
