The Congress party today slammed the Central Government over the implementation of MGNREGA scheme launched under UPA led government. Modi government is “ killing off” the scheme by cutting Budgets and delaying payments. The National Mobile Monitoring Schemes and Aadhar Linked Bank accounts are also not beneficial for rural workers.
Addressing the media persons today the Chairman All India Unorganized workers and Employees Congress , Udit Raj said that The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ,2005 was enacted by the Congress led UPA government to ensure 100 days employment to rural workers.
He alleged PM Modi has never liked this scheme and vilified on the floors in the parliament saying it was monument to the poverty of the congress.
“The central government was forced to rely on this great welfare scheme during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2021-2022. If MGNREGA scheme had not existed the condition of rural unorganized workers would have worsened, raj added.
He also blamed the Prime Minister Modi of making mistakes by cutting the budgets of this scheme. He said that National Mobile Monitoring systems and (NMMS)app and Aadhar linked bank accounts will make it very difficult for rural workers to get benefit from it. The congress leader also said that according to the revised estimates 2020-21, during pandemic times Rs 1,11,500 Crores was allocated to the MGNREGA which saved lives of crores of people.
“However even this allocation was not enough to provide 100 days employment to the workforce available in the country. Since then the Budget of MGNREGA has been reduced every year. This year it has been cut to Rs 60.000 Crores even lower than before the pandemic. Currently 15 Crores households are involved in this scheme, but now the budget has been cut even lower than five years ago, raj claimed.
Many states in India are not using 100 percent of the funds and corruption at the local level is very high. In the original scheme material cost was not to exceed 40 percent in any gram Panchayat. This was to ensure that the scheme is for workers not contractors. After 2016 the Modi government changed the unit where 60;40 ratio was compulsory to the district. After the base unit has been changed misuse is rampant in many places, he added.
Udit raj also accused govt for making smart phones mandatory. Every worker must have a smart phone but everyone cannot afford, especially the women, adivasis and dalits. They are also not tech savy. He said that government should either give smart phones to workers or scraps NMMS app. It should also immediately compensate all workers who have lost their wages due to technical errors and strengthen transparency and accountability through open muster rolls and social audits, raj added.
