Congress shedding crocodile tears on rural jobs scheme: Chouhan

On a day the Congress held a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to announce a nationwide campaign against the scrapping of the MGNREGA, Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan described the party’s “clamour” as “purely political”.

Taking to social media site X, Mr. Chouhan posted a detailed note on the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the NDA government’s new, Viksit Bharat G-Ram-G Act. (The MGNREGA was brought in by the Congress-led UPA government in 2006).

“The Congress’s clamour is purely political. The Congress lacked both intent and policy. This is the same Congress that appended Mahatma Gandhi’s name for electoral gains. This is the same Congress that, from time to time, reduced the budget for MGNREGA. This is the same Congress that froze wages. Today, Congress leaders are shedding crocodile tears,” he posted.

Lists key clauses

Posting further, the BJP leader said that “under this scheme, employment has not been diminished; rather, it has been made even stronger. The number of employment days has been increased from 100 to 125 days. There is a provision for unemployment allowance if work is not provided within the stipulated time, and if there is a delay in wage payment, there is a provision for additional compensation on the delayed payment.”

He said that the gram sabhas and panchayats were being empowered under the Act to identify works and prioritise them. “Responsibility for implementation, monitoring, and quality assurance has been ensured at the local level. Additionally, by making social audits mandatory, a provision has been made for public review of expenditures and payments. Special emphasis has been placed on the active participation of women, self-help groups, and the community,” he said.

“Not every panchayat is the same. For those panchayats that are the most backward — where there is still an acute need for employment and a lack of basic infrastructure — arrangements have been made to provide more funds, more assistance, and more opportunities,” he added.

He said that special focus had been given to sustainable income growth through transparent and time-bound payments, as well as the creation of assets and works linked to livelihoods. “Here, rights are not being granted out of pity; they are being provided with guarantees and dignity,” he said.

However, he did not answer the main criticism of the Opposition, on the funds break-up between the Centre and the States, with a major part of the financial responsibility for the scheme now falling on the States.