TN Finance Minister petitions Nirmala Sitharaman to release MGNREGS funds
According to an official release shared by the state government, wages have not been paid to workers since November 27, 2024.
Minister Thangam Thennarasu submitting a memorandum to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday
CHENNAI: State Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu on Monday petitioned his central counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman to immediately release Rs 1,635 crore due for MGNREGS workers in the state in the current financial year.
Accompanied by Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi and additional chief secretary of the state rural development department Gagandeep Singh Bedi, minister Thangam Thennarasu met the Union Finance Minister in the national capital on Monday and urged her to immediately release the outstanding amount due for MNREGS in the State. According to an official release shared by the state government, wages have not been paid to workers since November 27, 2024.
Thennarasu petitioned Sitharaman after Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13 seeking to immediately release the funds to the State. As per the government release, the Union government owes Rs 1,635 crore to the State for payment of pending wages to the workers from November 27, 2024. The State finance minister also asked the Union minister to sanction additional man days under the scheme in addition to providing continuous support for the implementation of the project in the State.
Over 1.09 crore belonging to 85 lakh families have registered for the scheme which provides 86% of the employment to women. Of the total employed workers under the scheme in the state, about 29% are SC/STs.