MP Congress flays Chouhan over sops to labourers in election year

Main opposition Congress has challenged the recently announced slew of sops for labourers by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Leader of opposition has alleged the state chief minister had already announced these schemes and sops in 2008 and was merely repeating it.

"Chouhan has repeated that announcement in a Mazdoor Mahapanchayat (labourers' congregation). He had already made similar announcement in meeting organised in for construction labourers. He made a slew of sops in favour of labourers on August 19, 2008. And he had repeated similar sops for labourers on April 28 this year since elections are nearing," Ajay Singh leader of opposition said here claimed.

Singh alleged further, "A pension scheme was announced for masons in 2008 but nothing happened so far, yet again Chouhan announced similar scheme in 2013. He also announced housing scheme in 2008 and 2013 for labourers but none of the laboueres has been provided any house."

On April 28, this year Chouhan had announced in a mega gathering of state laboueres in Bhopal that if a labourer becomes disable due to age, he will get minimum Rs 4,000 pension provided he deposits Rs 500 per annum from an early age of 35. He had further assured that the state government would ensure minimum pension to all those who cannot work.

Promising quality housing to urban poor labourers and rural labourers, Chouhan had said no labour or poor will be removed from where he is already living. Those who have not land in urban areas will be ensured houses up to Rs 300,000 and state government would create 10,000 two-storied houses. Further all those who will employ labourers in any activity will be asked to make temporary housing facility to labourers.

Ajay Singh also alleged that state government misused funds parked in Madhya Pradesh Building worker and Mason welfare fund. "This is a huge amount of Rs 3.5 crore," Singh said. Ajay Singh has demanded list of those beneficiaries who have been provided government benefits after organizing various Panchayats for various sections of the society. "The state government and chief minister should come up with detail of the expenses incurred on these panchayat, organized on hard-earned public money." The state government spokesperson Narottam Mishra was not available for comment.