Government trying to dilute MGNREGA scheme: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to dilute the MGNREGA scheme through use of unofficial channels like Whatsapp groups by the Union Rural Development Ministry to tell state governments to stop generating work under the rural job scheme.

The Congress also said the government was trying to underplay the widespread rural distress in India by manipulating the MGNREGA demand.

"The media has reported that Whatsapp groups were used by the ministry to tell the state governments to stop generating work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

Tewari said the state governments were even threatened. "The Modi government even asked the states to stop demanding their pending amounts. MGNREGA is a demand-based, and not allocation-based, scheme," said the Congress leader.

"Whatever be the demand, it is the duty of the central government to fulfil the requirements," he added.

"The money which should have gone to the poor is being artificially manipulated and stopped by this government. They have completely destroyed the manner in which the government should act under the Transaction of Business Rules," said Tewari.

--IANS

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