The Congress party will launch a statewide movement in Uttarakhand to protest against the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) with the “Viksit Bharat G Ram Ji Rural Act.” The movement will begin on January 10.
The decision to launch the statewide protest against the changes made to MNREGA was taken at a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee, chaired by Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja, at a hotel on Rajpur Road. Selja said that the All India Congress Committee has decided to oppose the changes made to the MNREGA scheme across the country.
The movement will be conducted in a planned manner in each state. In Uttarakhand, on January 10, press conferences will be held at the district level to expose the reality of the VB G Ram Ji Act replacing MNREGA. On January 11, a hunger strike will be held at the district level in front of the statues of Mahatma Gandhi or Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. On January 29, public meetings will be held at the panchayat level. During this time, letters from the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will also be given to the panchayat representatives. On January 30, demonstrations will be held at the ward level. From January 31 to February 6, a “Save MNREGA” protest will be held at every district headquarters. From February 7 to 15, the state assembly will be gheraoed (surrounded).
The Congress in-charge alleged that the Modi government wants to destroy the very essence of MNREGA. MNREGA was a demand-driven employment guarantee scheme, where the government was obligated to provide work. The new law makes it a supply-based scheme. The availability of work will depend on the central government’s budget and parameters. The provisions of the new act will eliminate the right to employment. It will also place a financial burden on the states
