West Bengal has failed to meet targets set for several Central projects commissioned for rural development. The annual report of the Union ministry for rural development debunks claims of the CPI-M led state government that it has undertaken extensive development in rural areas. Projects where the state has failed include: n employment for villagers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for 100 days; n construction of roads in rural areas to link unconnected habitations under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Bharat Nirman schemes, and n providing shelter to homeless people living below poverty line under the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY). The report indicts West Bengal for abject failure in construction of rural roads. The state has 58,263 habitations, of which 33,904 have no motorable approach roads. The state was supposed to construct 3,473 new links to habitations in 2007-2008 under the Bharat Nirman project but had completed only 211 until last November. The state was also supposed to upgrade 2,878 km of road under the programme in 2007-2008, but it had upgraded a miserable 6.5 km of road until November. Proposals to construct a total of 1,718 roads had been cleared under the PMGSY. A sum of Rs 3,456.60 crore was earmarked, of which a sum of Rs 1,845.31 crore has been released by November. The state had only completed 920 roads. Under the NREGA, the state has provided employment to 37,52,260 households of the total 38,59,841 households demanding employment under the Act. But only 5,495 families have been given 100 days of work. Even states like Orissa and Jharkhand have provided 100 days' employment to rural households. Under the IAY, the state has utilised only 47.90 per cent of total available funds. The funds available are Rs 356.2 crore but the state has so far used only Rs 170.6 crore to construct houses for people living below poverty line.