Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday termed the revamping of the MGNREGA as anti-poor.
The CM along with members of his Cabinet staged a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Ridge, Shimla, opposing the Centre’s decision to replace the MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.
He added that the Congress would intensify its protests at the district and block levels to expose the anti-people nature of the G RAM G Act.
Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh would be among the worst-affected states in the country. “Under the earlier arrangment, the Central Government met the entire wage liability under the MGNREGA, while the state government provided an additional incentive of Rs 80 per day to workers.
Under the revised arrangement, the Centre will bear only 90 per cent of the wages, leaving the state to shoulder the remaining burden,” he lamented.
He asserted that the MGNREGA must continue in its original spirit, driven by panchayat demands and local development needs.
“The MGNREGA, conceived and implemented by the Congress-led UPA government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had been a cornerstone of rural employment and inclusive growth,” he said.
He said works under the MGNREGA were planned and executed based on the resolutions of gram panchayats and sabhas, reflecting local priorities and ensuring grassroots participation.
However, the new mechanism sidelines panchayats, as planning authority has been centralised and funds would now be allocated directly by the Centre, with projects notified for selected areas.
Sukhu said salaries of officers and employees posted in zila parishads under the MGNREGA had also been discontinued, which would adversely impact the effective implementation of the scheme.
Dharna a political gimmick: Satti
Former BJP state president and MLA Satpal Singh Satti termed the protest by Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and his colleagues against the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act as a political gimmick.
Satti said the Congress party doesn’t know how to govern and it resorts to protests to distort facts and mislead the public. “The Centre has gone beyond the MGNREGA and implemented the G RAM G Act, which guarantees 125 days of employment to rural families instead of 100 days,” he said.
Satti said provision of more than Rs 1.51 lakh crore had been made for this, with the Centre contributing more than Rs 95,000 crore.
He said while the UPA government had spent Rs 2.13 lakh crore on the MGNREGA from 2006–07 to 2013–14, the NDA government has created nearly double the employment by spending more than Rs 8.53 lakh crore till 2024–25.