The Union Ministry of Rural Development is working to resume the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in West Bengal. The Centre had stopped releasing funds to the state in March 2022, citing non-compliance with central rules. On December 5, 2025, Union Minister of State Kamlesh Paswan informed the Rajya Sabha that the government is refining the needed steps to restart the scheme. The fund freeze sparked protests from Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders. Derek O’Brien, TMC leader in the Rajya Sabha, questioned the Centre saying, "After over three years of freezing funds, does the [Union] government accept that it has effectively converted a legal right-to-work into a political weapon against Bengal’s rural people?" TMC MPs protested in Parliament over pending dues, accusing the Centre of starving West Bengal to settle political scores. The state is owed ₹3,082.52 crore, including ₹1,457.22 crore in wages for work already completed. Before the funds were stopped, West Bengal was a top performer under MGNREGA. Workers dug ponds, repaired roads, and built embankments, earning their wages honestly. O’Brien noted that these workers have waited silently for over three years. TMC claims that if the scheme had continued without interruption, ₹45,000 crore would have been spent in the state since March 2022. On the national level, MGNREGA spent nearly 80% of its ₹86,000 crore budget for the 2025-26 financial year, with four months still remaining. There are 27.64 crore registered workers nationwide, with 12.16 crore active workers who have worked in the last three years. The Centre’s move to restart MGNREGA in West Bengal comes after the Calcutta High Court ordered resumption in June 2025, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court in October 2025.