MGNREGA Under Siege: Congress Calls Out Government Policies

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the Modi government of undermining MGNREGA, a crucial support system for India's poorest. He demands a budget increase, criticizing technological barriers causing job and payment access issues. The Aadhaar-Based Payment System led to wide-scale worker ineligibility and wrongful deletions.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has launched a scathing criticism of the Modi government's handling of the MGNREGA scheme. He accuses the administration of 'systematically throttling' the program, integral to the livelihoods of millions of India's poorest, by continuously reducing budget allocations and imposing rigid technological requisites.

Ramesh highlighted the adverse effects of mandating the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) for the scheme. According to data from Lib Tech, a group of academics and activists, a significant portion of registered and active workers are rendered ineligible due to the stringent conditions imposed. This has, Ramesh argues, led to wrongful deletions and rights violations.

He calls for immediate action from the rural development ministry to halt the use of ABPS and the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), demanding increased funding and wage rises to ensure the right to work and fair compensation are upheld.

(With inputs from agencies.)