India, June 18 -- The Calcutta high court on Wednesday directed the Centre to implement the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from August 1.

The court said that the central government can impose any special condition to prevent the recurrence of past irregularities.

Centre suspended MGNREGA funding to West Bengal in March 2022, citing widespread irregularities in the scheme's implementation. According to RTI replies, the decision followed inspections of 63 worksites, with inconsistencies reported in 31 locations.

West Bengal received Rs.7,507.80 crore in fiscal year 2021-22 under MGNREGA but has received no funds in the following three fiscal years.

In April, the Calcutta high court had observed that the...