11 years of neglect turning MGNREGA lifeless: Congress warns govt

On the 20th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — once hailed as a lifeline for rural India — Congress struck a sharp note of dissent, accusing the Narendra Modi government of starving the scheme of funds and turning its promise of dignity through work into a hollow mockery.

Marking the 20th anniversary of MGNREGA becoming law, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said that instead of celebrating the achievements of the world’s largest social welfare programme, India is forced to confront its “very uncertain future under this government.”

Ramesh pointed out that the finance ministry’s rules cap expenditure for schemes at 60 per cent of the allocated budget in the first half of the fiscal year.

“The ministry has already blown through 60 per cent of its MGNREGA budget within just five months, raising doubts about what lies ahead for crores of rural families,” he said in a post on X.

He described the crisis as part of a larger effort by the Centre to “throttle” MGNREGA. According to him, the scheme has been underfunded for the past 11 years, with allocations stagnant for three consecutive years despite high inflation. This, he said, denies lakhs of workers employment at a time they need it most.

Ramesh further alleged that:

• Payments to workers are routinely delayed beyond the statutory 15-day period, without compensation.

• Between 20–30 per cent of the budget each year is spent clearing pending dues from the previous year.

• Wages have barely increased in the last decade, worsening the crisis of stagnant incomes.

• The introduction of Aadhaar-Based Payment Systems (ABPS) and the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app has excluded over two crore workers, leaving them unable to access their legal entitlements.

Reiterating the Congress’ demands, Ramesh said the government must:

• Significantly enhance the MGNREGA budget

• Enforce strict adherence to timely wage payments

• Raise the minimum daily wage to Rs 400 to spur income growth

• Constitute a Standing Committee to decide MGNREGA wages in the future

• Immediately halt the mandatory use of “exclusionary technologies” like ABPS and NMMS

“MGNREGA, a lifeline for rural India, is being deliberately weakened. The government’s neglect risks undermining not only livelihoods but also the vision of inclusive growth the scheme once represented,” Ramesh warned.

With PTI inputs