Senior Congress leader Jagmohan Singh Kang said on Monday that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking reconsideration of the Centre's decision to “rename the MGNREGA scheme and impose new conditions on its implementation”.
In a statement issued here, Kang described the move as “anti-poor and unfortunate”, alleging that the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme was a regressive attempt at diluting the legacy of the Father of the Nation. He also opposed the decision to shift 40 per cent of the financial burden onto states, saying it would severely impact debt-ridden states like Punjab.
Kang said the scheme framed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) symbolises dignity and a Constitutional right to work for millions of rural labourers. He pointed out that the scheme, launched during the UPA government under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was a legal guarantee and not a welfare charity.
The former Punjab minister criticised the Centre’s proposal to increase working days while transferring additional financial responsibility to states, calling it unjust at a time when many states were facing serious financial stress. He claimed Punjab was already struggling with a severe fiscal crisis.
Kang also expressed concern over the “removal” of the unemployment allowance and the “curtailment of powers of gram panchayats”, saying these steps have weakened the democratic framework of rural development. He said mandatory digitisation and app-based attendance had become a hurdle for poor and illiterate workers due to technical glitches, leading to denial of their rights.
Urging the Prime Minister to review the decision in public interest, Kang said the vision of a developed India could only be achieved if welfare benefits reached the poorest citizens instead of being limited to renaming schemes.
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