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Business Standard
10 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Nitish Kumar's mega pre-poll push: Pension raised to ₹1,100 monthly
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday announced a major hike in the monthly pension for the elderly, disabled persons, and widowed women—from ₹400 to ₹1,100. The revised amount will be disbursed starting July and is set to benefit over 10.9 million people across the state under the Social Security Pension Scheme. 'I am happy to inform you that under the Social Security Pension Scheme, all the elderly, disabled and widowed women will now get a pension of ₹1,100 instead of ₹400 every month,' said Chief Minister Kumar. 'All the beneficiaries will get pension at the increased rate from the month of July. It will be ensured that this amount is sent to the account of all the beneficiaries on the 10th of the month. This will help 1 crore 9 lakh 69 thousand 255 beneficiaries a lot,' he added. Stressing the government's commitment to welfare and social equity, Kumar stated, 'The elderly are a precious part of society and ensuring their dignified living is our top priority. The state government will continue to make efforts in this direction.' The hike marks a nearly threefold increase and comes at a critical political juncture as Bihar heads to Assembly elections later this year. With the Janata Dal (United) and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) aiming to fortify their electoral base, the announcement is being seen as a targeted measure to reach out to vulnerable segments of the population. In another administrative push towards decentralised governance, the Bihar government has also expanded financial powers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Now, village heads (mukhiyas) have been authorised to sanction development schemes worth up to ₹10 lakh, doubling the previous cap of ₹5 lakh.
NDTV
11 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Nitish Kumar's Big Move Ahead Of Polls, Monthly Pension Hiked To Rs 1,100
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced an increase in the monthly pension for elderly, disabled persons, and widowed women from Rs 400 to Rs 1,100. The decision, which will take effect from July, will impact 1,09,69,255 beneficiaries under the state's Social Security Pension Scheme. "I am happy to inform you that under the Social Security Pension Scheme, all the elderly, disabled and widowed women will now get a pension of Rs. 1100 instead of Rs. 400 every month. All the beneficiaries will get pension at the increased rate from the month of July. It will be ensured that this amount is sent to the account of all the beneficiaries on the 10th of the month. This will help 1 crore 9 lakh 69 thousand 255 beneficiaries a lot," Mr Kumar announced. मुझे यह बताते हुए खुशी हो रही है कि सामाजिक सुरक्षा पेंशन योजना के तहत सभी वृद्धजनों, दिव्यांगजनों और विधवा महिलाओं को अब हर महीने 400 रु॰ की जगह 1100 रु॰ पेंशन मिलेगी। सभी लाभार्थियों को जुलाई महीने से पेंशन बढ़ी हुई दर पर मिलेगी। सभी लाभार्थियों के खाते में यह राशि महीने की 10… — Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) June 21, 2025 "The elderly are a precious part of society and ensuring their dignified living is our top priority. The state government will continue to make efforts in this direction," he added. This announcement comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for later this year. The Janata Dal (United) and its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are seeking to consolidate their position against an opposition front led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. The Bihar government has also revised powers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Village heads (mukhiyas) are now authorised to independently sanction schemes worth up to Rs 10 lakh, doubling the previous threshold of Rs 5 lakh. In a meeting on Thursday, the Chief Minister approved significant increases in allowances for elected representatives under the Panchayati Raj system: The Zilla Parishad (ZP) President's monthly allowance will increase from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000. ZP Vice President's allowance has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Mukhiyas will now receive Rs 7,500 per month, up from Rs 5,000. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Siwan on Friday, marking his fifth tour of Bihar in 2025. Addressing a large crowd, he praised Bihar's role in national progress and slammed the Congress-RJD alliance while endorsing Nitish Kumar's development agenda. "India is on the path to becoming the third-largest economy, and Bihar will play a big role in this," PM Modi said. He announced projects worth Rs 5,736 crore, including 22 urban infrastructure projects, six new road projects, one rail initiative, and the launch of two new trains-including a Vande Bharat Express. Also unveiled was the export of the first locomotive built in the Madhura rail factory. "The engine made in Bihar will now run trains in Africa... this is the new identity of Bihar," PM Modi said.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat GST detects ‘tax evasion' worth over Rs 45 crore in Central schemes, including MGNREGA, in Dahod and Gir-Somnath
The Gujarat State GST Department on Friday said it has detected tax evasion in a few centrally sponsored schemes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), in Dahod and Gir-Somnath districts of the state. In a statement on Friday, the department said that it had conducted searches on the premises of four taxpayers based in Dahod and Veraval on June 9. These persons, it said, were engaged in executing works under various government schemes, including MGNREGA. During these searches, several irregularities were allegedly detected, such as misclassification of taxable services as exempt, under-reporting of turnover as compared to bank receipts and GST returns filed, and wrongful availment of Input Tax Credit (ITC). The Gujarat GST department said that these findings allegedly 'point to a systematic and deliberate attempt by these four taxpayers to suppress taxable income and manipulate tax liability with the objective of evading taxes and misusing government funds'. Preliminary assessments indicate that the total liability of these four taxpayers, including tax, interest, and penalty, amounts to over Rs 45 crore. Appropriate legal action to secure and realise government revenue is being pursued by the state GST department. Further investigation remains underway.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sukanta Majumdar writes to LS speaker, says attack on his convoy is breach of privilege
KOLKATA: Union minister Sukanta Majumdar on Friday asked Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to initiate breach of parliamentary privilege proceedings over an alleged attack on his convoy by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress during his visit to South 24 Parganas district. The West Bengal BJP chief had gone to Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas on Thursday to meet an injured party worker when some people staged a protest, demanding unpaid wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme and threw slippers at his convoy and shouted slogans against him. In his letter, Majumdar, the Balurghat MP and president of Bengal unit of BJP, said, 'On June 19, while I was visiting Diamond Harbour to meet the victims of political violence and assess the law-and-order situation in the area, my official convoy was gheraoed and violently attacked by a mob reportedly comprising workers of the TMC. Stones were pelted at my convoy, vehicles were vandalized and many persons accompanying me were injured. The attack posed a serious and direct threat to my life and the lives of those present.' 'I submit that this incident amounts to serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House and urge you to take cognisance of this matter and refer it to the committee of privileges for appropriate examination and action,' he said. Majumdar also alleged that the police stood as mute spectators. He wrote on X: 'The police not only failed to act during the violence — they also failed to take any preventive action, despite clear signs of escalating tension.' Rahul Goswami, superintendent of police (SP), Diamond Harbour police district, refused to comment on the developments. The central government's decision to suspend the Centre's 60% share of MGNREGA funds has been a major political issue in West Bengal since 2022. On Wednesday, the Calcutta high court directed the Centre to resume the MGNREGA from August 1. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the Centre had stopped the wages of the poor people who had worked under the MGNREGA scheme. 'It is obvious that they were seething with anger. When the people staged protests, Majumdar branded the women as 'jihadis'. He should apologise in public for his statements,' Ghosh said. The TMC shared a video clip on social media in which Majumdar could be heard saying that the protestors in Budge Budge were 'jihadis'.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Calcutta High Court's MGNREGA order underlines people shouldn't suffer for the corruption of a few
Written by Purbayan Chakraborty and Mrinalini Paul In a recent verdict, the Calcutta High Court has directed the Centre to resume work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in West Bengal from August 1. The Centre, through an earlier order dated March 9, 2022, stopped releasing funds for the scheme, citing irregularities under Section 27 of the Act. In May 2023, Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity, a rural workers' trade union, filed a petition in the HC challenging the suspension. The HC order is a much-awaited relief for the state and its millions of NREGA workers. The Right to Livelihood is a fundamental right that flows from Article 21 of the Constitution. Any executive action that seeks to curtail a fundamental right must pass the proportionality test as laid down and consistently employed by the Supreme Court in a series of cases like Association for Democratic Reforms v. Union of India (2024). The test requires that any such executive measure hold a legitimate objective and follow suitable means. It also mandates the use of an equally effective alternative. The impact on the individual's right must not be out of proportion to the objective being pursued. The irregularities were found in only a few of West Bengal's more than 3300 gram panchayats. Instead of taking targeted corrective action, the Centre chose to issue a state-wide blanket stoppage of funds under MGNREGA, rendering millions of rural workers unemployed. This action was neither the least restrictive nor proportionate to the objective that was being pursued. Hence, it failed the proportionality test on both counts. Section 27 of the Act empowers the Centre to stop the funds under the MGNREGA scheme as a last resort in cases of proven irregularities. But it also places a corresponding duty on it to employ remedial measures in a time-bound manner and resume implementation of the scheme within a reasonable period of time. However, in this case, even after more than three years, the Centre failed to resume funding. Therefore, the HC rightly held: 'The scheme of the act does not envisage a situation where it would be put to cold storage for eternity.' Section 27 balances accountability with livelihood — that balance was breached in this case. The HC's order is a reaffirmation that executive in the exercise of their discretionary powers cannot go beyond statutory or constitutional limitations. Corruption is grave but not uncommon in our country. But should the vulnerable people suffer due to corruption at higher levels? The funding was stopped at a time when the MGNREGA could have been a coping mechanism, especially for the thousands of poor rural workers who had returned home due to Covid. Unpaid wages and no new work in sight forced them further towards a vicious cycle of poverty, indebtedness, migration and malnutrition. The deprivation of the state and its population doesn't stop in MNREGA; it extends to other central schemes as well. The Ministry of Rural Development has informed a parliamentary panel that almost Rs 8,000 crore is yet to be released under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMA-G) for West Bengal. In 2023, the state accused the Centre of stopping funds for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). However, the then Union Minister Smriti Irani refuted these allegations, saying that the state government was misusing funds and Rs 260 crore 'were lying unused'. West Bengal is also one of the three states in the country that refused to comply with the PM SHRI scheme and, as a result, has not received any funding for the Samagra Shiksha scheme (2024-25). However, the state government's response has been very confusing. Apart from playing the victim, it has rarely seemed to pursue logical or legal action. Often, it rushed to launch the state equivalent of the schemes that are blocked by the Centre. This happened even in the case of MGNREGA. The state launched the Karmashree scheme in 2024, under which every MGNREGA job cardholder household is supposed to get 50 days of work in a year. Launched just before the general elections, in no way, does it match the meticulous provisions of MGNREGA. For instance, Karmashree does not have any separately allocated budget |nor any mention of unemployment allowance. While the HC Order comes as an immediate respite to the state's 257 lakh registered NREGA workers, governments should read its larger message against 'weaponising schemes'. That corruption will not be tolerated is explicit in the order, as the HC empowered the Centre to impose special conditions on the state so that past issues do not recur. But that doesn't mean that people's lives and livelihoods could be compromised. With the assembly elections scheduled next year, the order has been hailed as a victory by both the TMC and BJP, but the real victory lies in the warning of the judiciary that they dare not mix up the politics of corruption and politics of welfare further. Chakraborty is a Kolkata-based lawyer and Paul is a researcher at TISS
