<p>Batting for expansion of MNREGA in times of COVID-19, senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said the Centre should ensure that every registered worker must get 100 days of work besides further revising the wages and linking it to rural consumer price index.</p>.<p>O'Brien quoted Mahatma Gandhi to say that "poverty is the worst form of violence" and MNREGA is a key instrument to prevent violence and suffering in rural India.</p>.<p>"The Centre must act now. Each registered worker must get 100 days of work. It is most critical. Wages need to be further revised and linked to the rural consumer price index. The revised wages of Rs 202 is 40-50 per cent lower than average unskilled worker's wages. All wages need to be cleared within 15 days," he said.</p>.<p>He accused the government of "doing everything to weaken and dismantle" MNREGA and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Parliament in 2015 where he referred to the rural employment guarantee scheme as a "living monument of failure".</p>.<p>"The Prime Minister said in Parliament that MNREGA work is digging holes and a living monument of failure. I hope there is some realisation now. MNREGA is one of the largest social welfare programmes in the world. With unemployment down to the worst, MNREGA is important," he said.</p>.<p>O’Brien, also Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha leader, said the Modi government had reduced the budget allocation for MNREGA in 2019-20 and 2020-21 in comparison to actual expenditure. In January this year, he said, 95 per cent of allocation for 2019-20 was spent and the Ministry of Rural Development sought an additional Rs 20,000 crore but the Finance Ministry gave only Rs 5,000 crore.</p>.<p>He also found fault with the government's claims on increasing the MNREGA wages by Rs 20 to Rs 202 saying it is lower than the minimum wages of the states across the country.</p>.<p>"Centre claims that this will help in increase of annual income of a rural household by Rs 2000. How did they arrive at this figure? By calculating that 100 days of work will be given. But on average, if you look at states, the work days are 45-50 days of employment generation. So this claim of Rs 2,000 is not there. There is grandstanding when common people are facing a serious situation," he said.</p>.<p>O'Brien said Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government is alive to the utility of MNREGA and in the past three years, the state received the award for best MNREGA performer.</p>.<p>Between 2011 and 2019, he said, the annual expenditure on MNREGA rose by over 200 per cent in Bengal. Asked about Home Minister Amit Shah's virtual campaign, he said if a party wants to do political campaign at this moment, it is their prerogative.</p>.<p>"Our focus is on tackling the challenges of COVID-19 and standing with people who suffered due to Cyclone Amphan. If somebody else is indulging in politics, it is their strategy. Our party chief has clearly told us that this is the time to stand with people. Our outlook is different, our priorities are different," he added.</p>
<p>Batting for expansion of MNREGA in times of COVID-19, senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said the Centre should ensure that every registered worker must get 100 days of work besides further revising the wages and linking it to rural consumer price index.</p>.<p>O'Brien quoted Mahatma Gandhi to say that "poverty is the worst form of violence" and MNREGA is a key instrument to prevent violence and suffering in rural India.</p>.<p>"The Centre must act now. Each registered worker must get 100 days of work. It is most critical. Wages need to be further revised and linked to the rural consumer price index. The revised wages of Rs 202 is 40-50 per cent lower than average unskilled worker's wages. All wages need to be cleared within 15 days," he said.</p>.<p>He accused the government of "doing everything to weaken and dismantle" MNREGA and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Parliament in 2015 where he referred to the rural employment guarantee scheme as a "living monument of failure".</p>.<p>"The Prime Minister said in Parliament that MNREGA work is digging holes and a living monument of failure. I hope there is some realisation now. MNREGA is one of the largest social welfare programmes in the world. With unemployment down to the worst, MNREGA is important," he said.</p>.<p>O’Brien, also Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha leader, said the Modi government had reduced the budget allocation for MNREGA in 2019-20 and 2020-21 in comparison to actual expenditure. In January this year, he said, 95 per cent of allocation for 2019-20 was spent and the Ministry of Rural Development sought an additional Rs 20,000 crore but the Finance Ministry gave only Rs 5,000 crore.</p>.<p>He also found fault with the government's claims on increasing the MNREGA wages by Rs 20 to Rs 202 saying it is lower than the minimum wages of the states across the country.</p>.<p>"Centre claims that this will help in increase of annual income of a rural household by Rs 2000. How did they arrive at this figure? By calculating that 100 days of work will be given. But on average, if you look at states, the work days are 45-50 days of employment generation. So this claim of Rs 2,000 is not there. There is grandstanding when common people are facing a serious situation," he said.</p>.<p>O'Brien said Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government is alive to the utility of MNREGA and in the past three years, the state received the award for best MNREGA performer.</p>.<p>Between 2011 and 2019, he said, the annual expenditure on MNREGA rose by over 200 per cent in Bengal. Asked about Home Minister Amit Shah's virtual campaign, he said if a party wants to do political campaign at this moment, it is their prerogative.</p>.<p>"Our focus is on tackling the challenges of COVID-19 and standing with people who suffered due to Cyclone Amphan. If somebody else is indulging in politics, it is their strategy. Our party chief has clearly told us that this is the time to stand with people. Our outlook is different, our priorities are different," he added.</p>
