The Centre on Friday informed Parliament that it was “reworking and refining” the modalities to resume the 100-day rural job scheme that was suspended in Bengal around four years ago over allegations of irregularities.
The MGNREGA scheme, which provides up to 100 days of unskilled work to every rural family in a year, was put on hold in Bengal in March 2022 after the ministry of rural development (MoRD) allegedly detected instances of ghost workers, fake job cards and projects outside the list of permissible work.
On June 18, Calcutta High Court had directed the MoRD to resume the scheme in Bengal while continuing its investigation into the irregularities. It had also empowered the MoRD to impose restrictions and conditions to curb financial irregularities.
The special leave petition filed by the MoRD was dismissed by the apex court on October 27, which said it was not convinced that the impugned high court order required any interference.
Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien had wanted to know the steps the government had taken to comply with the high court order.
In a written reply on Friday, rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: “For the resumption of implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the state of Bengal and in accordance with the order dated June 18, 2025, passed by the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, the department of rural development is currently in the process of reworking and refining the necessary modalities and procedures to comply with the high court’s directions.”
The minister said the release of funds to Bengal under the MGNREGA was stopped with effect from March 9, 2022, “owing to continued non-compliance with the directives of the central government by the state”.
However, in some areas, work continued in 2022 even after the MoRD stopped releasing funds. Chouhan said the state government would bear those project expenses from its own resources.
Purbayan Chakraborty, a lawyer who fought the case on behalf of the Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samiti, said the organisation would file a contempt petition in the high court soon.
“It has been nearly six months since the high court directed the government to resume the scheme. The Union government cannot keep the scheme suspended indefinitely in the name of modalities and procedure,” Chakraborty said.
The scheme’s suspension has affected around 1.5 crore rural workers in Bengal.