Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused the BJP-led Centre of systematically undermining of the rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA, and demanded raising of minimum wage under it to Rs 400 per day and the number of guaranteed workdays to 150 a year.
Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention in the Rajya Sabha, Sonia Gandhi said the UPA government under then prime minister Manmohan Singh enacted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005.
"This landmark legislation has been a crucial safety net for millions of rural poor. However, it is deeply concerning that the present BJP government has systematically undermined the scheme," Sonia Gandhi said.
The budget allocation (for the scheme) remains stagnant at Rs 86,000 crore, a 10-year low as a percentage of GDP, she alleged.
When adjusted for inflation, the effective budget declines by Rs 4,000 crore, she said, adding that estimates suggest nearly 20 per cent of the allocated funds will be used to clear pending dues from previous years.
"Additionally, the scheme faces multiple challenges, including the exclusionary Aadhaar-based payment and the National Mobile Monitoring System, persistent delays in wage payment and wage rates not adequate to compensate for inflation," she claimed.
The National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app permits taking real-time attendance of workers at MGNREGA worksites along with geotagged photographs.
The Congress leader demanded that adequate financial provisions be made to sustain and expand the scheme.
Also, the minimum wage should be increased to Rs 400 per day along with their timely disbursement, she said, adding that the number of guaranteed workdays should be raised from 100 to 150 per year.
The Central government had increased MGNREGA wages by 3-10 per cent in nominal terms for the financial year 2024-25 just before general elections were announced last year.
The wages vary from state to state and are in the range of Rs 237 (Uttrakhand) to Rs 300 (Andhra Pradesh) a day.
Demanding the removal of the Aadhaar Payments Bridge System (APBS) and NMMS, Sonia said, "These measures are essential to ensure that MGNREGA provides dignified employment and financial security."
This was only the second time that Sonia Gandhi raised an issue during the Zero Hour -- an hour where matters are raised with the permission of the Chair -- since she was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February last year.
