Mallikarjun Kharge says scrapping MGNREGA was one-sided decision taken by govt without consulting stakeholders including state governments, people and panchayats.
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.
Nick Jonas is not trying to modernise the mangalsutra, but his gesture shows that choices can be equal. If commitment must be flaunted, it need not be gendered.
COMMENTS