The Centre has decided to release funds for rural road construction in Bengal that have been withheld for over two years now, after BJP lost all six Assembly seats to the Trinamool Congress in the recent by-elections.
On Tuesday, union rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed officials to release the pending funds under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), which aims to connect villages with roads.
Former Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar stated that the decision to freeze funds had backfired politically, forcing the government to reconsider.
A state official noted that the last payment, ₹343 crore, was made in November 2022 for upgrading 144 roads, after which further grants were halted due to alleged irregularities, including objections to boards mentioning Bangla Gram Sadak Yojna.
