Raj govt insensitive for reducing MNREGA budget: Pilot

Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot today accused the state government of being "insensitive" towards unemployed youth for reducing the MNREGA budget to Rs 300 lakh in comparison to last year.
"Reducing the MNREGA budget has resulted into decline in the average employment rate per household. Due to insensitivity of the state government, there is a dip in households getting 100 days employment," Pilot said in a statement.
He said the UPA had reduced the unemployment rate by implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act, but the BJP government "has left no chance to weaken the scheme".
Several labourers did not get payment for their work and the Supreme Court taking congnisance of the matter had directed the Centre to release payment, he said.

The former Union minister said that the scheme of the UPA government had economically empowered women in the rural areas.
He sought details from the state government on the utilisation of the MNREGA funds and on number of 'man days' created to provide employment, which, he said, "was boasting about completion on four years rule in Rajasthan".
Various cases of the non-payment of funds to labourers and cases of bogus candidates claiming funds had surfaced.
The state government should present the MNREGA statement in a transparent manner, Pilot said.