[MGNREGA] Calcutta High Court Constitutes Committee For District-Wise Verification Of Wage Claims By Workers

The Calcutta High Court has constituted a high-level committee to verify district-wise claims made by daily wage labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya held:

Considering all these aspects, the four-member Team shall consist of (1) a senior officer from the office of the Auditor and Comptroller General of India, (2) one officer from the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, (3) one officer from the Principal Accountant General, Audit-I, Government of West Bengal, and (4) the Commissioner, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, West Bengal. The Chief Secretary of the Government of West Bengal is directed to nominate a Nodal Officer who will coordinate the meetings of the Committee and select such officer bearing in mind the Cadre from which the four nominees to the Committee come from. 

These observations came in pleas seeking the disbursal of outstanding dues for the daily-wage labourers who were not paid their wages under the MGNREGA scheme. It was stated that pending dues had run into thousands of crores and the workers were suffering from great hardship as well.

On an earlier occasion, the court had proposed the formation of a four-member committee to look into the claims by the workers and directed the state to propose potential nominees for the same.

At the present hearing, upon perusing the nominees, the court formed the committee as aforesaid.

It also directed for the members of the committee to have adequate access to the concerned districts, and for the state to ensure all arrangements including police assistance to aid the members of the committee to exercise their duties.

Accordingly, it called for a report from the committee by 4th July 2024.

Mr. Purbayan Chakraborty, Mr. Kuntal Banerjee..for the Petitioners

Case: Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity & Anr. Vs. The Union of India & Ors

Case No: WPA(P) 237 of 2023

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