The Bengal government has asked district administrations to keep MGNREGA Annual Action Plan (AAP) ready for the 2023-24 financial year following all norms laid down by the Union rural development ministry for implementing projects under the scheme.

The planning not only reveals that the state government has lost all hopes of getting any funds from the centre this fiscal but also captures the desperation to put in place a proper system as part of an attempt to reduce the possibility of allegations of irregularities in carrying out projects under MGNREGA in Bengal.

“You are aware that works taken up in the Annual Action Plan of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA for the year 2022-23 could not be implemented due to imposition of Sec. 27 of the act upon the state. Now as the financial year coming to a close, it is requested that a review of the works incorporated in that AAP is made in the light of the relevant guidelines of the the Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India as well as observations of the central teams, different advisories issued by the state government etc...,” reads a letter sent to the districts by the NREGA commissioner in the state.

Section 27 of the MGNREGA, 2005, allows the Centre to stop the release of funds under the scheme on receiving complaints regarding improper utilisation of the cash.

The content of the letter, a source said, is significant as this makes it clear that the state is willy-nilly accepting the charge of irregularities, which led to the halt in the release of funds from the Centre under the scheme since April last year.

Now that the state has asked the districts to review all the schemes that were scheduled to be taken up in the 2022-23 financial year, it becomes clear that attempts will be made to implement them in the next fiscal.

“The state has asked the districts to review the projects that were supposed to be undertaken in the 2022-23 financial year.. This is to ensure that these conform to all criteria laid by Delhi and get incorporated in the 2023-24 action plan. This is being done to avoid further controversies once funds are released under the scheme in the 2023-24 financial year,” said a senior bureaucrat.

Senior bureaucrats said that it is clear from the instruction that the state government is not planning to go into a tussle with the centre over non-release of funds under the 2022-23 financial year. Instead, the state government is keeping itself ready with foolproof schemes so that no further questions can be raised once funds are released in 2023-24 financial year.

The state government has laid down some clear instructions for the 2023-24 financial year.

Some of the key points that the state has asked the districts to ensure while taking up schemes for 2023-24 financial year are:

Non-measurable, non-tangible and repetitive works should not be taken up

“No asset-no work” approach should be taken up

A proper technical estimate should be done before taking up a work

Before finalising the estimate, field visits are mandatory to avoid any loophole

Officials have to be careful before taking up land development works

Plantation work should be taken up only after ensuring the protection of the saplings

Sources in the state administration said all those instructions were based on the observations of the central teams and it was believed that irregularities had taken place in such schemes.

“This is a practical approach.... Had the government followed this model before, there would not have been so many controversies over the rural jobs scheme,” said a source.