Kolkata, June 18: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the Union government to start the process of implementation of the 100-day job scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in West Bengal from August 1 without failure.

However, while giving the direction to the Union government, the division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Chaitali Chattopadhyay also gave a free hand to impose any condition on the West Bengal government on the proper implementation of the 100-day job scheme to ensure the prevention of corruption in the implementation process.

While giving the direction, it also authorised the Centre to pay the amount directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, if required.

The court also authorised the Union government to monitor the implementation process to prevent future corruption and also to carry out ongoing investigations on past instances of corruption.

The direction to the Union government came on a petition filed by the organisation, Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samiti (West Bengal Agricultural Workers’ Forum), accusing the Centre of not releasing funds under the 100-day job scheme. Senior advocate and the CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya appeared on behalf of the forum.

On the same issue, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, also filed a case at the Calcutta High Court. However, his contention was that there had been massive irregularities in the implementation of the 100-day job scheme in West Bengal.

The state's ruling Trinamool Congress had been quite vocal against the Union government over the non-release of central funds under the MGNREGA scheme for the last three years. On the other hand, the Union government and the BJP argued that the funds have been stopped for the state under this scheme due to rampant corruption in the implementation of the scheme in the past.

Field inspection teams from the Union government during the last couple of years toured several districts in West Bengal, probing the complaints on corruption in the implementation of the scheme.

--IANS

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