Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Credit: Sansad TV
New Delhi: Insisting that the VB-G RAM G Act will strengthen the right to work, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday accused Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Monday of spreading misinformation about the new legislation.
"I would like to tell Rahul Gandhiji and Mallikarjun Khargeji that by spreading misinformation about the VB-G RAM G Act, they are not strengthening but rather weakening the Congress," Chouhan said while addressing media persons here.
Terming the Congress claim that the right to work is being snatched away is a "lie", the Minister said that the NDA government tried to make the MGNREGA better and spent Rs 9 lakh crore.
Chouhan claimed that of the nearly 10 crore assets created under the MGNREGA, around 8.5 crore were built during the Narendra Modi government's tenure.
The Minister was countering the Congress's 45-day nationwide campaign the "MGNREGA Bachao Sangram", against the repeal of the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), on January 10.
The opposition party is demanding the withdrawal of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act and restoration of the MGNREGA as a rights-based law in its original form, the right to work and the authority of panchayats
Chouhan said that "Instead of 100 days, we are now giving 125 days work.... Not just the right to work, we have also made a provision for giving an unemployment allowance within 15 days.
"They are spreading misinformation that employment would be provided only in certain panchayats. I want to clarify that the scheme would be implemented in all panchayats," he said.
On the 60:40 Centre-state funding ratio that has been criticised by opposition parties and activists, Chouhan said, "There will be no additional burden on the states. The Centre is already giving more money. The investment that the states would make would be for strengthening infrastructure in villages."
He said a provision for Rs 1,51,282 crore has been proposed for the coming financial year, with more than Rs 95,600 crore to be contributed by the Centre.
Addressing concerns of opposition parties regarding the demand-driven nature of the scheme being diluted, Chouhan clarified that the model would remain demand-driven, but the focus would now be on productive and useful works identified by gram panchayats, rather than arbitrary projects.