That the Modi government would actually dismantle the architecture of one of the UPA era’s most significant rural welfare programmes, and remove MK Gandhi’s name, took the Opposition by surprise.
The claim that VB-GRAMG provides an employment guarantee is incorrect. The only guarantee is to 'empower' the Centre to allow partial implementation in notified areas alone.
Oppn, especially Congress, has severely criticised VB-G RAM G Bill saying it will upend MGNREGA's demand-driven framework, centralise decision-making & put financial burden on states.
MGNREGA empowered citizens to engage the state on equal terms. VB-GRAMG recasts them as labharthis, who must prove eligibility to receive the largesse of a benevolent leader.
Opposition parties are fixated on the argument that the government has deliberately removed MK Gandhi’s name from the Act. The real provisions in the Bill are barely being discussed.
MGNREGA’s core strength was: if you needed work, you got work. VB-GRAMG’s funding model means work will only be available if a state has the budget and the Centre has approved the allocation.
According to Bharuch SP Mayur Chawla, investigation of 11 villages revealed that money specified under MGNREGA was not maintained and was being siphoned off illegally.
The attack on Chhayanaut, newspaper offices, and the public lynching of a Hindu man show that Bangladesh is heading toward Islamist rule, far removed from electoral democracy.
It is argued that India-Israel ties are moving from buyer–seller dynamic to one focused on joint development & manufacturing partnership, a shift 'more durable' than traditional arms sales.
If Pathaan gave both conservatives and liberals room to hide, Dhurandhar extends no such courtesy. Aditya Dhar ripped open that tent of hypocrisy and turned the knife.
COMMENTS