Tough conditions mandated by the Centre and the delay in the processing of formalities by the Bengal government are acting as major stumbling blocks for workers looking for jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
A Calcutta High Court order directing the resumption of work under the 100-day rural job scheme, which has been suspended in Bengal for around four years, has failed to nudge the Centre and the state government into action.
The MGNREGA will continue to be in force till the newly enacted Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajiveeka Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act is rolled out. The new law is expected to come into force on April 1.
The Union ministry of rural development (MoRD) had stopped the release of MGNREGA funds to Bengal from March 9, 2022, citing irregularities. On a petition filed by the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity, the high court on June 18, 2025, directed the MoRD to resume work from August 1. The MoRD moved the Supreme Court against the ruling but got no relief.
The MoRD on December 6, 2025, wrote to the Bengal government to initiate the process for the implementation of work under the MGNREGA and listed several conditions, including 100 per cent e-KYC of all workers.
“The state government is required to submit the Labour Budget proposal for the current financial year 2025-26 within 30 days of receipt of this communication,” the letter stated.
“The state shall complete 100 per cent e-KYC of all workers, and muster rolls will be issued after mandatory e-KYC only. Job cards may be reviewed and updated within a period of one month from the resumption of the scheme in the state,” it added.
The state government is yet to respond to the MoRD on the labour budget for January, February and March 2026.
On Friday, the Bengal panchayats and rural development department wrote to the district magistrates and district programme coordinators of the MGNREGA to prepare the labour budget and a plan for February and March.
The letter directed the district authorities to ensure approval of the labour budget at block levels by January 27. The state government has also cited conditions like a bar on projects worth over ₹20 lakh, capping projects at 10 per gram panchayat at any given point in time and disallowing work that does not create assets.
Tapojay Mukherjee from NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, a civil society organisation, said that the state government sat on the MoRD letter for more than a month.
“The Centre's one-month deadline has expired, but Bengal is yet to prepare its labour budget. It means the state government is not proactive in implementing MGNREGA. It seems to have acted now because a contempt petition has been filed for non-compliance with the high court directive,” Mukherjee said.
He said the Trinamool blames the Centre for suspending the scheme, but it is politically beneficial to them. The Centre is keen on implementing the VB-G RAM G from April and is not focused on MGNREGA.