Bengal CM calls emergency meeting with BDOs over rural job scheme
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will meet officials to address complaints regarding the implementation of the 125-day rural employment programme.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has called an urgent meeting with block development officers (BDOs) to evaluate the 125-day rural employment scheme, according to The Hawk.
The meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the West Bengal Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department headquarters in Salt Lake. Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh and Minister of State Santanu Pramanik will also be present.
State secretariat sources said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has received various complaints regarding administrative delays and slow progress at the panchayat and district levels. Adhikari is expected to ask for block-wise and district-wise project details and seek explanations for reported shortcomings.
This follows a meeting held last week by the Chief Minister with departmental secretaries, principal secretaries, and additional chief secretaries. A state secretariat insider stated that Adhikari decided to speak with BDOs directly to understand the ground situation and noted that laxity in the scheme will not be tolerated.
The state transitioned to the Centre's Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VG-RAM-G scheme, following the Assembly elections earlier this year. This new arrangement, which began on July 1, 2026, guarantees 125 days of annual rural employment instead of the previous 100 days.