Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises H. D. Kumaraswamy,  BJP Karnataka State president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly R .Ashok during press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.   
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The previous Budget, presented in July 2024 after the Lok Sabha election, had accorded priority to employment and skill development, given the nature of the election mandate. The Finance Minister had announced a Prime Minister’s Package of five schemes and initiatives to facilitate job and internship opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a five-year period with a central outlay of ₹2 lakh crore. However, the Budget speech delivered in Parliament on February 1, 2025, did not refer to the Prime Minister’s Package even once. The document on implementation of Budget 2024-25 announcements states that a “draft Cabinet note on Employment Linked Incentive scheme is under finalisation” and “several meetings have been held with the Ministry of Labour and CII to discuss the relationship between capital expenditure and employment generation”. In other words, the future of the scheme looks bleak.

Deflationary budget

The September 2024 report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) revealed that in 2023-24, the youth unemployment rate (for those aged 15-29 years) had increased to 10.2% and the unemployment rate among graduates was 13%. Time series data from the PLFS show that the share of the workforce engaged in regular or salaried employment in the post-pandemic period has shrunk, while the share engaged in agriculture and informal self-employment has risen.

The latest Economic Survey also shows that average real earnings of self-employed male workers in India fell from ₹9,454 in 2017-18 to ₹8,591 in 2023-24. The monthly real wages of regular/salaried male workers also fell from an average of ₹12,665 in 2017-18 to ₹11,858 in 2023-24. Surplus labour inundating the job market, combined with high food inflation, have severely squeezed the real incomes and livelihoods of an overwhelming majority of India’s workforce. For a Finance Minister to overlook this is disingenuous.

The advanced estimates of GDP have already projected a decline of the real GDP growth rate to 6.4% in 2024-25 from 8.2% last year. In keeping with this, there is a slowdown in the Centre’s net tax revenues in 2024-25. With the Finance Minister keen on adhering to the fiscal consolidation path, the axe has fallen on government expenditure. Total expenditure is now likely to be over ₹1 lakh crore short of Budget Estimates (BE), with capital expenditure falling short of the target by over ₹92,000 crore.

Public expenditure on rural and urban development, agriculture, education, food subsidy, energy, transport, and health are all being axed. Among centrally sponsored schemes, the Revised Estimates (RE) for the Jal Jeevan Mission and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (both rural and urban) show declines of ₹47,469 crore and ₹38,575 crore, respectively, from their BE. The expenditure on MGNREGA was cut in the BE itself by ₹3,654 crore from the previous year. Such deep cuts in budgeted capital and welfare expenditures would have a dampening effect on investment and consumption, especially in rural areas.

The Finance Minister has sought to counterbalance the deflationary impact of these expenditure cuts by enhancing the annual rebate for income tax payers from ₹7 lakh to ₹12 lakh from 2025-26. Data from the Income Tax Department show that only around 2.8 crore individuals had paid positive taxes in the assessment year 2023-24, out of the 7.54 crore filing income tax returns. The income tax relief for next year would therefore go to 2.8 crore individuals, who form only around 22% of India’s salaried workforce. For the rest who are faced with dwindling real incomes, there is nothing on offer.

The Finance Minister has estimated the revenue foregone on account of the income tax rebate to be ₹1 lakh crore. Instead, a cut of a similar magnitude in indirect taxes, such as the exorbitant excise duties on fuel or the central GST rates on mass consumption goods, could have provided relief to the entire class of working people. It is well known that the consumption propensity of wage earners is higher than that of the profit earners.

The average daily wage rate actually received by a MGNREGA worker (as per data provided by Ministry of Rural Development dashboard) has increased from ₹200.71 in 2019-20 to ₹252.31 in 2024-25. The national floor level minimum wage for unskilled workers in agriculture, in contrast, has been set at ₹452 in 2024-25. A well deserved, substantial hike in the MGNREGA wages in the Union Budget alongside an increase in rural development outlays would have led to increased consumption demand in the rural areas. The consumption effect of income tax breaks, in contrast, would be far more limited and concentrated in urban areas.

Running out of ideas

The latest Economic Survey cites a private sector research report to show how the after tax profit-to-GDP ratio of Nifty 500 companies surged from 2.1% in 2020-21 to 4.8% in 2023-24. While the deep corporate tax cut of September 2019 played a vital role in this profit surge, it has neither translated into higher levels of private corporate investment, nor employment generation.

Yet, the Union Budget has relied upon another tax break, this time for income tax payers, to inject demand into the economy, even while cutting capital and welfare expenditures to compress the fiscal deficit. This is unlikely to generate higher levels of economic growth and employment and raise the living standards of the vast majority of the working people. It is evident that the government has run out of ideas on the economic front.

Prasenjit Bose is an economist and activist

New Delhi:

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) which completed ten years of its implementation on Wednesday has had a profound impact on every corner of the country.

The scheme launched in 2014, has proven to be the foundation stone in bringing over 80 per cent of Indian women under the ambit of financial inclusion. A significant boost in the bank account ownership of women in a decade, it has gone up from just 26 per cent in 2011 to 78 per cent in 2021.

Out of the total 53.13 crore Jan Dhan accounts over 30 crore are women’s accounts. Over 35 crore of the Jan Dhan account hail from rural or semi-urban areas. PM Jan Dhana Yojana has diminished the rural-urban divide in terms of bank accounts. The percentage of households that have a bank account or a post office account is now almost the same in urban and rural areas, 95 per cent vs 96 per cent respectively.

PM Jan Dhan Yojana has also bridged the gender gap in access to financial services. The gender gap in accessing financial services was 20 per cent in 2011, and it has been reduced to 6 per cent in 2017 which was less than the Global gap of 9 per cent.

PMJDY has other benefits as well in terms of financial inclusion. As of August 2024, over 36.13 crores of RuPay debit cards are issued without any cost to Jan Dhan account holders. The RuPay debit card is free of cost, it gives an insurance benefit of Rs 2 lakh along with an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000 to every cardholder.

The government’s focus on Digital Public infrastructure along with the trinity of Aadhar cards, mobile penetration and Jan Dhan accounts, the JAM trinity has propelled the financial inclusion rate from 25 per cent in 2008 to over 80 per cent of adults in the last 6 years.

PMJDY has been the foundation stone for many more people-centric economic initiatives. Whether it is direct benefit transfers, COVID-19 financial assistance, PM-KISAN, increased wages under MGNREGA, or life and health insurance coverage.

An SBI report in 2021 observed that states with higher PMJDY account balances saw a drop in crime rates and reduced alcohol and tobacco consumption, highlighting the program’s positive social impact.

The Jan Dhan Yojana has garnered global praise for its transformative impact on financial inclusion in India.

In 2023, a G20 report by the World Bank reveals that India has achieved its financial inclusion goals in just 6 years, a feat that would have taken 47 years without its advanced Digital Public Infrastructure.

India has surpassed China in financial inclusion metrics says the SBI report of 2021. Mobile and Internet banking transactions soared to 13,615 per 1,000 adults in 2020, up from 183 in 2015, while the number of bank branches per 100,000 adults rose to 14.7, exceeding those in Germany, China, and South Africa.

India’s account ownership more than doubled from 35 per cent in 2011 to 78 per cent in 2021. All these are because of the government’s various initiatives for financial inclusion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Watch: Budget 2024 | What is in store for labour?

In her seventh budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced three new employee-linked incentive schemes in the Union Budget for 2024-25. The three schemes, which are part of the Prime Minister’s package, will align with enrolment in the Employee Provident Fund Organisation and focus on the recognition of first-time employees, as well as support to both employers and employees.

The schemes will facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a five-year period with a central outlay of ₹ 2 lakh crore. The Centre will provide ‘Employment Linked Incentives’ to employers based on enrolment in the Employees Provident Fund Organisation. One of the major proposal among this is to provide internship opportunities in 500 top companies to one crore youth for 12 months.

Students will get an internship allowance of ₹ 5,000 per month along with a one-time assistance of ₹ 6,000. Companies will have to bear the training cost and 10 per cent of the internship cost from their CSR funds. Many have interpreted this as the next Agniveer scheme given the casual nature of this scheme. Trade unions also seem to be not happy with the budget as their long pending demand of restoration of Old Pension Scheme is ignored this time too.

Farmers expect this government to take a radical break from all its earlier Budgets. File
| Photo Credit: MUSTAFAH KK

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance faced huge setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections in the agrarian belts of the country. The BJP lost in at least 38 seats in five States where the farmers’ movement against the policies of the Narendra Modi government was strong. This government is a continuation of the first two Narendra Modi regimes that favoured the corporate houses and tweaked policies in the agriculture sector in their favour.

Farmers expect that this government make a radical break from all its earlier Budgets. Of course, this is asking for a tall order. But unless that is done, the farmers’ unrest and agrarian crisis are not going to subside. The National Crime Records Bureau’s data tells us that 1,00,474 farmers and agricultural workers committed suicide between 2015 and 2022. This figure is growing and is a tragic indication of India’s agrarian crisis.

The most important issue for farmers in the country today is statutory minimum support price at the rate of C2+50%, that is one and a half times of the comprehensive cost of production, as recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission. This was a promise made by Narendra Modi and the BJP manifesto in 2014. Now, they are silent on this. Unless that’s done, it’s going to be impossible even to begin to resolve the agrarian crisis. They will have to make Budgetary provisions to implement this. This is our first demand. But to do this, they will have to hold discussions with farmers’ movements. There have been no such discussions.

The second point is about the rising cost of production. Our expectation from this year’s Budget is that the government bring down production costs by reducing prices of fertilizers, seeds, insecticides, diesel, water and electricity. Rates of all these inputs are going up. Even if farmers are to be given MSP at C2+50%, the cost of production must be brought down. A statutory MSP at a rate of C2+50% may have no meaning if the costs of production are not brought down.

The government can bring down these prices by having a strict control through the Budget on the corporates who are now part of the production process of these inputs. Earlier, most of these inputs were produced by the public sector. The Budget must support public sector companies to continue to be engaged in the production of fertilizers, insecticides and seeds. This government talks of self-reliance, but does nothing to improve self-reliance. This is apparent in the case of fertilizers.

The third expectation from this Budget is a complete one-time loan waiver for farmers and agricultural workers nationwide. Unless this is done, farm suicides cannot be prevented. This government has written off loans worth ₹16 lakh crore of corporates. And, they say they don’t have money to waive loans of farmers. Loan waiver, bringing down the cost of production and ensuring MSP at a rate of C2+50 must be done together. If this is done, 70% of the crisis in the farm sector can be dealt with.

The fourth point is relevant in the context of climate change. In light of regular droughts, floods, unseasonal rains and hailstorms, there must be a comprehensive crop insurance scheme, which is totally different from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Several States have opted out of it. Some States have begun their own scheme. This is because PMFBY is working in the interest of insurance companies, and not farmers. Budgetary provision must be made for a comprehensive scheme that helps farmers.

The fifth point is on the question of irrigation and power. Public sector investment in irrigation and power has been cut in the last decade. These sectors are being handed over to private companies and hence, the cost of water and power is rising. The private sector cannot invest the monies a government can, for example, in building dams. The question of irrigation must be addressed by the Union government. A number of irrigation projects are incomplete nationwide. If they are completed, a large section of land will come under irrigation. So, the Budget must make provisions to complete these irrigation projects.

In the power sector too, unless there is public investment, it will be difficult to ensure steady supply of electricity. Power production is also now under the control of corporate houses. Smart meters are going to create havoc for all consumers, both rural and urban. The government had agreed to hold a discussion on Electricity Act amendments. But no discussions have been held so far.

The sixth point is about the expansion of MGNREGA. Ever since the Modi Government came to power, they have been trying to starve MGNREGA of funds. The number of work days has come down to just 42. The government must increase wages to ₹600 and the number of work days to at least 200. It is a lifeline for rural workers and it will be a step to increase their purchasing power.

The seventh point, which is very important, is the question of land. The government has changed the slogan of ‘Land to the Tiller’ to ‘Land to the Corporates’. In total violation of the Land Acquisition Act, there is massive acquisition of farm lands by corporate houses. Tribal lands are being taken by the government without any compensation for mining and other purposes. Land acquisition must be done only when strictly necessary for public purposes. Radical land reforms must be initiated and completed.

To raise resources for all this, the Union government must impose wealth tax and inheritance tax. They have tremendously reduced corporate tax. They must restore it. India is a country with one of the least rates of corporate taxes. Income tax slabs also must be changed to ensure the rich pay more. They are reducing income tax across the board, instead of providing relief to the middle class. Direct taxes must be increased and indirect taxes must be reduced and tax evasion must be stopped using stringent methods.

(Dr. Ashok Dhawale is a senior leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and President of the All India Kisan Sabha.)

Farmers expect this government to take a radical break from all its earlier Budgets. File
| Photo Credit: K.K. Mustafah

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance faced huge setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections in the agrarian belts of the country. The BJP lost in at least 38 seats in five States where the farmers’ movement against the policies of the Narendra Modi government was strong. This government is a continuation of the first two Narendra Modi regimes that favoured the corporate houses and tweaked policies in the agriculture sector in their favour.

Farmers expect that this government make a radical break from all its earlier Budgets. Of course, this is asking for a tall order. But unless that is done, the farmers’ unrest and agrarian crisis are not going to subside. The National Crime Records Bureau’s data tells us that 1,00,474 farmers and agricultural workers committed suicide between 2015 and 2022. This figure is growing and is a tragic indication of India’s agrarian crisis.

The most important issue for farmers in the country today is statutory minimum support price at the rate of C2+50%, that is one and a half times of the comprehensive cost of production, as recommended by the M.S. Swaminathan Commission. This was a promise made by Narendra Modi and the BJP manifesto in 2014. Now, they are silent on this. Unless that’s done, it’s going to be impossible even to begin to resolve the agrarian crisis. They will have to make Budgetary provisions to implement this. This is our first demand. But to do this, they will have to hold discussions with farmers’ movements. There have been no such discussions.

The second point is about the rising cost of production. Our expectation from this year’s Budget is that the government bring down production costs by reducing prices of fertilizers, seeds, insecticides, diesel, water and electricity. Rates of all these inputs are going up. Even if farmers are to be given MSP at C2+50%, the cost of production must be brought down. A statutory MSP at a rate of C2+50% may have no meaning if the costs of production are not brought down.

The government can bring down these prices by having a strict control through the Budget on the corporates who are now part of the production process of these inputs. Earlier, most of these inputs were produced by the public sector. The Budget must support public sector companies to continue to be engaged in the production of fertilizers, insecticides and seeds. This government talks of self-reliance, but does nothing to improve self-reliance. This is apparent in the case of fertilizers.

The third expectation from this Budget is a complete one-time loan waiver for farmers and agricultural workers nationwide. Unless this is done, farm suicides cannot be prevented. This government has written off loans worth ₹16 lakh crore of corporates. And, they say they don’t have money to waive loans of farmers. Loan waiver, bringing down the cost of production and ensuring MSP at a rate of C2+50 must be done together. If this is done, 70% of the crisis in the farm sector can be dealt with.

The fourth point is relevant in the context of climate change. In light of regular droughts, floods, unseasonal rains and hailstorms, there must be a comprehensive crop insurance scheme, which is totally different from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Several States have opted out of it. Some States have begun their own scheme. This is because PMFBY is working in the interest of insurance companies, and not farmers. Budgetary provision must be made for a comprehensive scheme that helps farmers.

The fifth point is on the question of irrigation and power. Public sector investment in irrigation and power has been cut in the last decade. These sectors are being handed over to private companies and hence, the cost of water and power is rising. The private sector cannot invest the monies a government can, for example, in building dams. The question of irrigation must be addressed by the Union government. A number of irrigation projects are incomplete nationwide. If they are completed, a large section of land will come under irrigation. So, the Budget must make provisions to complete these irrigation projects.

In the power sector too, unless there is public investment, it will be difficult to ensure steady supply of electricity. Power production is also now under the control of corporate houses. Smart meters are going to create havoc for all consumers, both rural and urban. The government had agreed to hold a discussion on Electricity Act amendments. But no discussions have been held so far.

The sixth point is about the expansion of MGNREGA. Ever since the Modi Government came to power, they have been trying to starve MGNREGA of funds. The number of work days has come down to just 42. The government must increase wages to ₹600 and the number of work days to at least 200. It is a lifeline for rural workers and it will be a step to increase their purchasing power.

The seventh point, which is very important, is the question of land. The government has changed the slogan of ‘Land to the Tiller’ to ‘Land to the Corporates’. In total violation of the Land Acquisition Act, there is massive acquisition of farm lands by corporate houses. Tribal lands are being taken by the government without any compensation for mining and other purposes. Land acquisition must be done only when strictly necessary for public purposes. Radical land reforms must be initiated and completed.

To raise resources for all this, the Union government must impose wealth tax and inheritance tax. They have tremendously reduced corporate tax. They must restore it. India is a country with one of the least rates of corporate taxes. Income tax slabs also must be changed to ensure the rich pay more. They are reducing income tax across the board, instead of providing relief to the middle class. Direct taxes must be increased and indirect taxes must be reduced and tax evasion must be stopped using stringent methods.

(Dr. Ashok Dhawale is a senior leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and President of the All India Kisan Sabha.)

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached four immovable properties having a value of Rs 22.47 lakh belonging to Shashi Prakash and Jai Kishore Chaudhary (both Executive Engineers) in case of the MGNREGA scam in Jharkhand.

According to ED, this is the fourth provisional attachment order issued in the case.

The total properties worth Rs 106.86 crore, including this provisional order, have been attached/ seized till date in the subject case.

The probe agency had initiated an investigation on the basis of 16 FIRs registered by Jharkhand Police in reference to embezzlement of Rs 18 crore in MGNREGA work in Jharkhand’s Khunti district.

“Further, a chargesheet filed by Jharkhand Police revealed that Junior Engineer RBP Sinha, Assistant Engineer R.K. Jain (now deceased), Shashi Prakash and Jai Kishore Chaudhary, both executive engineers, were involved in the combined embezzlement of Rs 18.06 crore,” it said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Earlier, ED had conducted several searches under the provisions of PMLA on May 6, 2022, at the premises related to these engineers and also at the premises related to IAS Pooja Singhal, the then DC of Khunti district, during which huge cash of Rs 19.58 crore was recovered and seized.

“Further, three persons namely Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, Pooja Singhal and CA Suman Kumar have been arrested in this case and three prosecution complaints have already been filed against Sinha, Singhal, Abhishek Jha, Jai Kishore Chaudhary, R.K. Jain (deceased), Shashi Prakash and CA Kumar before the Special (PMLA) Court, Ranchi wherein trial is under progress,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh, requesting to release the funds under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

“The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is one of the important Schemes for providing employment opportunity to all registered households in the rural areas and is the only scheme providing livelihood opportunity to rural people as well as create durable and sustainable rural assets to improve the Village infrastructure and fulfills the demand of rural people to a great level,” MK Stalin said in a letter.

Tamil Nadu has always been a top-performing state in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS under various parameters. In Tamil Nadu, 92.86 lakh households have been issued with Job Cards. Out of that, nearly 91.52 Lakh workers pertaining to 76.15 lakh households are actively participating in the MGNREGS works regularly, the letter said.

As agriculture in Tamil Nadu is heavily dependent on rains from the Southwest Monsoon and cyclonic rains from the Northeast Monsoon, vagary in any one of the above monsoons leads to higher demand for MGNREGS works, it said.

“I would like to reiterate that MGNREGS is considered as an important livelihood opportunity in rural areas for many like elderly people, destitute women, women-headed households, differently abled workers and additional livelihood opportunity for many in rural households, especially during lean agricultural season, ” according to the Chief Minister’s letter.

In particular, women empowerment has been realized by the MGNREGS as the majority workforce is women and credit of wages to their bank account has greatly improved their finances, the Chief Minister said.

During the year 2023-2024, the original demand made by Tamil Nadu is 40 crore person-days. So far, the Government of India has approved 28 crore person-days. Up to October 23, Tamil Nadu has achieved 31.15 crore person-days, by providing employment to 76.06 lakh workers pertaining to 66.26 lakh households, he said.

“In the financial Year 2023-24, Rs 4,903.25 crore has been released by the Government of India for the unskilled wages to the workers up to July 19. Subsequently, on September 25, a sum of Rs 1,755.43 crore was sanctioned by the Government of India for the payment of unskilled wages. However, out of the sanctioned amount, only Rs 418.233 crore seemed to have been released partially, leaving a balance of Rs 1,337.20 crore yet to be credited into the accounts of workers. Further liability of Rs 1,359.57 crore for the wages for the subsequent weeks also not released yet. Thus, as on October 20, the wage liability for the workers in Tamil Nadu had accumulated to Rs 2,696.77 crore,” the letter stated.

“I visited Kattankulathur Panchayat Union in Chengalpattu District on October 17. During the above visit, both the public and public representatives made a plea for the release of unpaid wages under MGNREGS to the workers immediately in view of the ensuing festive season. A similar request was received by me during my visit to Tiruvannamalai District as well.

“In view of the foregoing, I request that the total wage liability amount of Rs 2,696.77 crore be released to Tamil Nadu immediately. Further, additional funds may also be released to unskilled workers regularly. I look forward to your personal intervention in this regard,” the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said in the letter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Additional allocations will be sanctioned for the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the finance ministry has assured there will be no shortage, Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has said, dismissing criticisms of the flagship programme not being given sufficient funds.

In an interview with PTI, the minister also alleged large-scale corruption under the scheme in West Bengal. Asked if the Centre will undertake any probe, Mr Singh replied in the affirmative but did not elaborate on the nature of the probe.

“The MGNREGS is a demand-driven scheme, everyone knows that,” he said, adding: “The Union finance ministry has sanctioned additional funds for it.”

Sources in the finance ministry have said additional funds of Rs 28,000 crore have been sanctioned for the MGNREGS which would be cleared in the next Parliament session. The allocation for the MGNREGS in the 2023-23 Budget was Rs 60,000 crore.

Accusing the opposition of creating confusion over the flagship rural employment scheme, Mr Singh said, “Mr Kharge (Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge) and other opposition leaders create confusion… The truth is that 2,644 crore person days of work have been generated during the last nine years and more than Rs 6.63 lakh crore released as central share, which is three times the allocations made during the UPA regime.”

He further said that under the MGNREGS, 48 per cent were women workers during the UPA government. Now, that has gone up to 55 per cent, he added.

Asked about the recent large-scale deletions of names from the MGNREGS rolls, the minister said, “Some people may have died, so their job cards were deleted, but not everyone could have died….” The department has been directed to look into the reasons for the deletions, he said.

According to figures provided by the Rural Development Ministry in reply to a question in Parliament, more than 5.18 crore workers were deleted from the MGNREGS rolls in 2022-23. In 2021-22, more than 1.49 crore workers were struck off the MGNREGS rolls.

The states that saw a high number of deletion of workers include Andhra Pradesh (over 78 lakh), Bihar (over 76 lakh), Odisha (over 77 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (over 62 lakh) and West Bengal (over 83 lakh).

Asked about the pending payments for West Bengal, the minister alleged that there is large-scale corruption in the scheme in the state.

“A loot is going on…” Mr Singh alleged, adding, “In the name of MGNREGS work, they will write that a bund has been constructed. When it is inspected, they say it was washed away in floods…”

Commenting on a protest by TMC MPs in the rural development ministry after Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti did not meet a delegation of around 40 party representatives on October 3, the minister claimed that the MoS waited till 8.30 pm and the TMC delegation was too big.

“They wanted to create a scene,” he alleged.

TMC leaders were forcefully evicted from Krishi Bhawan by security personnel and detained while they were protesting on the premises on October 3. The party’s leaders alleged they were manhandled by the security personnel.

On the pending payments of those who have already worked under the MGNREGS in West Bengal, the Union minister said there is a state government and they should pay. “We are investigating the matter,” he added.

According to a written reply by MoS Niranjan Jyoti in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session, Rs 2,770 crore was pending under the wage component for West Bengal.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has accused the BJP-led NDA government of withholding Rs 15,000 crore in dues to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the PM Awas Yojana.

Asked if he had any meeting with West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose or other representatives from the state, the minister said a dossier has been sent by the governor which is being examined by the ministry.

On the achievements of his ministry, Mr Singh said the empowerment of women through schemes is ushering in a change.

“Empowering women through government schemes is the biggest achievement of the Rural Development Ministry… PM Modi has promised two crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’. We will achieve the target before March 2024,” he said.

Under the scheme, skill development training will be provided to 2 crore women to encourage them to start micro-enterprises, he added.

Commenting on the Lok Sabha polls next year, the minister, who is an MP from Begusarai in Bihar, said the Opposition alliance INDIA was not a challenge to the BJP and also expressed confidence that his party would win the upcoming assembly polls in five states.

“INDIA alliance will make no difference, especially in Bihar. The people of Bihar love PM Modi. Who is the PM candidate of this alliance? Is it Rahul Gandhi, or Mamata Banerjee … Nitish Kumar or Uddhav Thackeray? Would they all be PM for a month, or for a year… This is an opportunistic alliance,” he said.

“We will win all five states. The Congress is busy with infighting in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, they have already said they are not sure of winning… In Chhattisgarh, the Bhupesh Baghel government has been exposed. I am confident the BJP will win all states,” Mr Singh said.

Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana will go to the polls next month.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)