PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The national spokesperson of Congress Alok Sharma has said that with the passage of Viksit Bharat- Guarantee for Rojgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-GRM G) bill in the Lok Sabha, the Narendra Modi government has abolished the biggest rural employment guarantee scheme of the world. Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhawan on Friday, Sharma said that the Modi government has not only changed the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) but has also tendered a blow on the concept of Gram Swaraj, dignity of work and decentralised development propounded by Mahatma Gandhi.
He said in last two decades MGNREGS has proved to be a lifeline for the crores of the rural families and during the Covid-19 pandemic it provided economic security.
He said that in the new scheme the share of the union government has been decreased from 90 per cent to 60 per cent which will load additional burden on the State governments already reeling under budgetary deficit. He said that infrastructure works such as construction of godowns, warehouses and cold storages have been added in the scheme and the government has also increased the working hours from existing eight hours to 12 hours.
The Congress spokesperson added that earlier the village Panchayats used to select the schemes but now a babu sitting in New Delhi will prepare plans. This shows that the union government will load the States with financial burden and take control of the scheme. The Modi government has crushed the concept of decentralisation.
Sharma said that in the new scheme has a provision under which no work will be sanctioned during the period of sowing and harvesting. He added that the Modi government has made acronym VB- G RAM G by making a strange mixture of English and Hindi words in order to invoke the name of Ram.
He said that the Congress party will protest this anti-people, anti-labour and attempt to attack the federal structure at every forum.
Sharma said that the politics of Modi- Shah has a received a severe jolt by the recent court decision in the National Herald case. He said that both the Prime Minister and Union Home minister should resign after this battering. Former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara was also present in the press conference. He said that increase in work hours of the VB-G RAM G is a direct assault on labour laws. He claimed that BJP MLA from Purola, Durgeshwar Lal holds a job card of the rural guarantee scheme which is against the norms.
