Govt has unleashed attack on MGNREGS: activists

Nikhil Dey, founder member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), also highlighted the problems being faced by the NREGS workers across the country.

academicians and social activists on Tuesday alleged that the NDA government had unleashed a “trishul” (trident) attack on the rural job-guarantee scheme.

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Highlighting problems being faced by workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), academicians and social activists on Tuesday alleged that the NDA government had unleashed a “trishul” (trident) attack on the rural job-guarantee scheme.

Addressing a briefing, Jean Drèze, visiting professor, Ranchi University, said, “The NDA government has unleashed an unprecedented attack… The attack is taking the form of trishul… the first spike… is not new—it is underfunding. This year, the budgetary allocation for the NREGS is only Rs 60,000 crore which is the lowest ever in terms of percentage vis a vis India’s GDP,” he said at the briefing attended by several MPs.

The second ‘trishul’ spike is compulsory imposition of the NMMS (National Mobile Monitoring System) app for marking attendance, said Drèze, highlighting the difficulties being faced by the NREGS workers.

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He said the third spike is compulsory imposition of Aadhaar-based payments from February 1, 2023, which, he said, was very “complicated” to understand.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the government’s intent is to cut down the budget of NREGS and other such programmes. AAP MP Sanjay Singh said “it is shocking that only an average of 34 days work is being provided against the guarantee of 100 days employment”. Singh said a Jan Andolan should be undertaken to raise this issue.

Nikhil Dey, founder member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), also highlighted the problems being faced by the NREGS workers across the country. “This is a situation where 15 crore workers in the country are affected. The reason we are having this interaction with political parties is that it requires political response… People are sitting on a 100-day dharna…this requires a strong political response,” he said.

Dey said the MGNREGS is under serious assault.

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