11 years of neglect turning MGNREGA lifeless: Congress warns govt

Politics Politics of India

Posted by AI on 2025-09-05 10:44:37 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-06-26 11:30:28

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Amid concerns of deteriorating finances and inadequate funds, the Congress party has warned the government over the future of India's rural poor. The warning comes after the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been impacted by what the party calls '11 years of neglect.'

The Congress party has claimed that the Centre has been unresponsive to demands for allocating adequate funds for the scheme, calling it a "brazen insult to the rural poor." This comes at a time when the scheme is facing a severe financial crisis, with the Centre's recent allocation being merely Rs 7,000 crore. This is a decrease of nearly 50% from the previous year's budget, indicating a significant lack of funding.

According to Congressman Rajeev Satav, "The objective of MGNREGA is to empower rural people, especially the poor. But the BJP government has continuously neglected and undermined the scheme."

The MGNREGA was introduced in 2006, with the goal of combating rural poverty and inequality by providing employment opportunities to those in need. However, recent events have called into question the government's commitment to these values. With the sudden halt of digital payments across several states, beneficiaries have been left without access to wages, further crippling their already limited resources.

The controversial decision has left an estimated 10 million daily wage earners without work and wages since the start of 2023. While the scheme's finances have been in the red in the past, this has typically been attributed to its overall popularity. However, this phenomenon has been uncommon in recent years, leading to concerns of worsening financial mismanagement.

Only time will tell how this situation will unfold, and whether the government will take action to ensure the rural poor's livelihood and support.

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