Mamata Banerjee alleges Narendra Modi government conspiracy against West Bengal over MGNREGA

Claiming that the Centre has decided not to provide MGNREGA funds for most of the blocks from the next financial year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged that the Narendra Modi government has hatched a conspiracy against the state.

The central government used to provide MGNREGA funds to all blocks of the country but the Narendra Modi government has planned to provide those funds to selective blocks from the 2015-16 fiscal, Banerjee said.

Out of the 341 blocks of West Bengal, only 124 would be given funds under the act, she claimed while addressing a public meeting at Shantipur in Nadia district. "Out of the 341 blocks, we are going to get funds for 100-day job only for 124 blocks from 2015-16. What about the rest of the blocks? Are there no poor men in those blocks?" Banerjee asked, and termed it "a conspiracy" of the Centre against the state.

The chief minister also criticised the National Highway authorities for the poor condition of NH-34 that links north Bengal with Kolkata.

From the meeting, she inaugurated 149 projects and laid foundation stone of 130 projects in Nadia and neighbouring Murshidabad districts.

Earlier, the chief minister held an administrative meeting with officials of the two districts in which progress of various schemes and programmes were discussed.