Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the Centre to file a report by June 20 stating why it was not releasing funds under the MGNREGA to Bengal.

The Union government had stopped the release of funds under the 100-day rural job scheme for Bengal in December 2021, alleging misappropriation of the grant in the state.

The division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya issued the order following a prayer by the Paschim Bangla Khet Majdoor Association that alleged that its members were not paid wages under the scheme as the Centre had stopped the release of the grant.

Opposing the prayer, Billwadal Bhattacharya, the counsel appearing for the Union government, said funds had not been released as several irregularities had been found in the action-taken report submitted by the state to the Union government.

The lawyer alleged that district administrations were using fake job card holders to prepare the muster roll under the scheme. In this way, funds allotted under the scheme were misappropriated.

Bhattacharya claimed that it had been found in many cases that the money had not been received by genuine job card holders who worked under the scheme.

On the basis of the plea, the court asked the state to probe whether actual people were getting the benefits of the scheme. The division bench asked the Centre to file its report by June 20. A week later, the state will have to file its reply.

The case will come up for hearing again in July, the division bench said

Appearing for the Bengal government, advocate Samrat Sen said the state had submitted its action-taken report on February 2 and requested the Union government to resume the release of the funds under the scheme. But the Union government was sitting tight and had stopped disbursing funds under the scheme.

The division bench asked the central government counsel to state the view of the Centre with regard to Sen's contention.