“BJP Win in West Bengal Likely to Unlock Stalled Central Funds, Boost Rural Schemes and Infrastructure Projects”

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in the West Bengal Assembly elections is expected to break the long-standing deadlock between the Centre and the state, potentially paving the way for the revival of several key central schemes that had remained stalled for years.

The impasse between the NDA government at the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government had led to a freeze in funding, particularly for major rural development and welfare programmes.

With the political landscape now shifting, there are indications that these schemes could soon regain momentum.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who also oversees the Rural Development Ministry, said on Monday that development work in the state would now move ahead at a much faster pace.

He specifically referred to the implementation of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), stating that its rollout is imminent as the rules and guidelines have already been finalised.

According to sources, the Centre had earlier halted funding due to alleged irregularities in the implementation of schemes.

It was claimed that the state government failed to act against those responsible and that funds meant for the poor were not being utilised properly.

There were also allegations that the schemes were rebranded under different names, such as “Bangla Yojana.”

With the change in political equation, officials now expect that development initiatives, including VB-G RAM G, will be executed more efficiently.

Describing the BJP’s victory as a “bhavuk pal” (an emotional moment), Chouhan said he had actively participated in several meetings during the election campaign and expressed optimism about the state’s development trajectory.

The Centre had introduced the VB-G RAM G Act last year as a replacement for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.

Notably, funds under MGNREGA had been stopped for West Bengal from March 9, 2022, citing non-compliance with central directives under Section 27 of the Act. Since then, work under the scheme has remained largely suspended in the state.

Before the halt, West Bengal was among the leading beneficiaries of the programme, with between 51 lakh and 80 lakh families availing employment annually from 2014–15 to 2021–22.

Annual expenditure under the scheme exceeded ₹10,000 crore, with ₹10,027 crore spent in 2020–21 and ₹10,907 crore in 2021–22.

State government sources estimate that the total central share—both actual and projected—under MGNREGA could be around ₹43,000 crore.

They also claim that approximately ₹24,275 crore is pending under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), where funds were withheld following complaints of irregularities in implementation.

However, the Centre has presented significantly lower figures. In a reply to a starred question in the Rajya Sabha on December 6, 2023, then Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh stated that ₹13,965.91 crore was pending as the central share for both MGNREGA and PMAY-G combined.

According to officials in the Union Rural Development Ministry, ₹3,083 crore was outstanding under MGNREGA as of March 9, 2022.

Additionally, the state government reportedly incurred expenditure of ₹2,513 crore even after the stoppage of central funds, bringing the total dues to ₹5,596 crore.

Data from the Centre also shows that under PMAY-G, a target of 45.69 lakh houses had been set for West Bengal since the scheme’s launch in 2016, of which 34.20 lakh have been completed so far.

State officials argue that an additional 33 lakh houses could have been built had the funding not been discontinued.

Meanwhile, the state government has also been pushing for approval of around 2,000 kilometres of rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which remains pending.

With political tensions easing, there is cautious optimism that these long-delayed projects and funds could finally be revived, potentially bringing relief to millions of rural households and accelerating development across West Bengal.