SC junks Centre's appeal against Calcutta HC's MGNREGA order, Pg5.

Key Highlights:

• The Supreme Court dismissed the Central Government's appeal against the Calcutta High Court's MGNREGA order.
• The Calcutta High Court had directed the Centre to implement MGNREGA in West Bengal from August 1, 2025.
• MGNREGA has been suspended in West Bengal for over three years due to alleged irregularities in fund disbursement.
• The High Court emphasized the need to implement the scheme while allowing the Centre to investigate past irregularities.

Detailed Insights:

• The Calcutta High Court acknowledged the Centre's power to investigate irregularities but stressed that the scheme should not be indefinitely suspended.
• The court empowered the Central Government to impose special conditions and regulations in West Bengal to prevent future irregularities in MGNREGA implementation.
• The High Court mandated strict compliance from the West Bengal government with any directives issued by the Central Government regarding MGNREGA.
• The court stated that individuals who illegally benefited from the scheme should be held accountable, and improperly disbursed funds should be recovered.

Key Concepts Involved:

• MGNREGA: Aims to enhance livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• Special Leave Petition (SLP): A petition filed in the Supreme Court of India against the judgment or order of any court or tribunal in the country.
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme: Schemes that are implemented by state governments but are largely funded by the central government.