New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday delivered a sharp defense in the Rajya Sabha regarding the Centre's decision to suspend funding for the MGNREGS scheme in West Bengal.
The Minister claimed the punitive measure was taken due to widespread non-compliance with central directives and serious, documented allegations of fund misuse.
Sitharaman alleged that the West Bengal government had issued 25 lakh fake MGNREGA job cards, resulting in the siphoning off of "crores of government money."The funding freeze was initially triggered by irregularities, including the awarding of contracts on a nomination basis and a general lack of transparency in the scheme's implementation.
The Finance Minister stressed the Cent...