Congress mulls nationwide stir on MGNREGA scrapping

In CWC meet on December 27, Congress to deliberate on protest following replacement of MGNREGA with VBG RAM G Bill in Winter Session which concluded on Friday

- ANAND SINGH

With the government passing the VB G RAM G Bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Congress is all set to hold a detailed deliberation in the party's apex body meeting scheduled on December 27 on the Centre's initiative to erase the Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and a scheme that brought out crores of people out of poverty.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), party's highest decision-making body is all set to meet on December 27 with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to chair it. While opposing the VB G RAM G Bill in Rajya Sabha, Congress chief Kharge had said, "I wish to raise several concerns regarding the Bill introduced by the government to change the name and structure of MGNREGA."

He said that between 2004 and 2014, this Parliament enacted several historic laws to empower the citizens of India.

Kharge highlighted that key schemes and Bills included the Right to Information (RTI), Right to Education (RTE), Forest Rights Act, National Food Security Act, Land Acquisition Act, and MGNREGA.

He said that the Article 41 of the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) states: "The State shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement, and in other cases of undeserved want.