Wed Dec 10 21:30:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, along with a summary:

Summary:

The Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), an agricultural workers’ union in West Bengal, has issued a legal notice for contempt of court against both the West Bengal State Government and the Central Government of India. This action stems from the continued suspension of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) in the state, despite court orders to resume it. The union accuses both governments of deliberately delaying the scheme’s reinstatement, citing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent criticism of the Union government’s conditions as “political theatrics.” PBKMS also disputes the effectiveness of the state’s alternative job creation scheme, Karmashree, claiming none of its members have benefited. In protest, agricultural worker organizations have called for road blockades across West Bengal to demand the right to work.

News Article:

West Bengal: Agricultural Union Files Contempt of Court Notice Over MGNREGA Delay

Kolkata, December 11, 2025 (The Hindu e-Paper) – The Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), a union representing agricultural workers in West Bengal, has escalated the ongoing dispute over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) by filing a legal notice for contempt of court against both the state and central governments.

The union’s action, announced Wednesday (December 10, 2025), is a direct response to the continued suspension of MGNREGA in West Bengal since March 2022, despite multiple court orders mandating its resumption. The Calcutta High Court initially directed both governments to restart the scheme by August 1st, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court on September 27th.

In a statement, PBKMS condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent remarks on the matter as “political theatrics.” Banerjee had publicly criticized and rejected conditions imposed by the Union government for resuming MGNREGA, including a requirement to submit a quarterly labor budget.

“Despite clear directions from the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court, the continued delay by both the State and Central Governments in restarting work under the scheme amounts to nothing less than contempt of court,” a statement by PBKMS said.

The union further accused the state government of using corruption allegations as a pretext to prolong the suspension and questioned the efficacy of the state’s alternative employment scheme, Karmashree. PBKMS claims that none of its members have secured work under Karmashree, despite submitting thousands of applications.

“From the Samity alone, applications were submitted in 11 blocks across 5 districts, totalling 2,728 applications. In most cases, Panchayat offices and Block offices refused to accept the applications and instead turned the applicants away,” the note stated.

In protest, PBKMS and other agricultural worker organizations, including ‘NREGA Sangharsha Mancha, West Bengal’, organized road blockades across the state on December 10th, observed as Human Rights Day, to demand the immediate resumption of MGNREGA and the right to work. The legal notice further intensifies the pressure on both governments to resolve the long-standing impasse.

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