'How to kill MGNREGA in 3 easy steps': Congress' dig at govt

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday took a swipe at the Centre over its handling of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, saying the government is working on "how to kill MGNREGA in three easy steps".

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared the screenshot on X of a media report which claimed that for the first time, the government has capped spending under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) at 60 per cent of its annual allocation for the first half of the financial year 2025–26.

"How to kill MGNREGA in three easy steps -- Step I: Starve MGNREGA of funds for a decade, resulting in stagnant wages and a massive rise in pending dues - amounting to Rs. 21,000 crores as of the beginning of this financial year Step II: Introduce the Finance Ministry’s Monthly/Quarterly Expenditure Plan, restricting MGNREGA expenditure in the first six months of the financial year to 60% of the annual budget.

"Step III: Effectively stop providing work to MGNREGA beneficiaries due to budget shortfall after payment of pending dues. Step I and II are in motion. Step III is coming soon," Ramesh said in his post on X.

He said what needs to be done instead is that MGNREGA wages must be increased to Rs 400 per day.

He argued that the Aadhar Based Payment Bridge Systems (ABPS) must not be made mandatory.

Wages must be paid within the statutory period of 15 days and any delay in payment must be compensated, Ramesh said.