Congress protests against G RAM G bill replacing MGNREGA in Srinagar
Srinagar, Dec 21: The Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee staged a strong protest on Sunday against the newly enacted legislation replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), accusing the BJP government of attempting to erase Mahatma Gandhi's name from the landmark rural employment scheme.
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-GRAM Bill, which replaces the existing MGNREGA that has provided employment guarantee to millions of rural households since 2005.
Led by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Tariq Hamid Karra, dozens of party workers gathered at the party headquarters to condemn what they termed a "conspiracy" to undermine the livelihood security of India's rural poor. The protesters attempted to march along Maulana Azad Road but were stopped by police and security forces, preventing them from leaving the party office premises.
Karra strongly condemned the police action and vowed to continue the Congress party's "uncompromising fight against the BJP-RSS move to undermine the livelihood of poor people and the authority of democratic institutions."
"The Congress party shall not compromise on Mahatma Gandhi's supreme sacrifices and services rendered to the nation," Karra declared. "The BJP's move to repeal MGNREGA is a conspiracy to erase Mahatma's name from the Act, which will not be accepted by Congress and the people of India."
He characterised the new legislation as an assault on rural livelihoods. "Introducing a bill to remove MGNREGA amounts to snatching the livelihood of the rural population. We will not accept this undemocratic and unethical move of the government towards the poor," Karra added. The MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, guarantees 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The scheme has been credited with providing a crucial safety net for India's rural poor, particularly during economic downturns and agricultural distress.
