Supreme Court questions Centre on MGNREGA fund release delay affecting six states
Bench expresses concern over pending wages worth over ₹8,000 crore not released to workers in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, MP and Rajasthan.
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Centre over its delay in releasing funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, noting that crores of workers had not received their wages for months in six states.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia said it was “deeply concerned” about the situation, which it called a violation of the fundamental right to livelihood. The court asked the Centre to file a detailed affidavit explaining the reason for the delay and a timeline for clearing the backlog.
The petition, filed by rights activists, alleged that over ₹8,000 crore in wages were pending across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Workers in some districts had not received wages for work done as far back as seven months ago, the petition said.
