The Congress on Monday accused the Modi government of systematically throttling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), claiming that 27 lakh beneficiaries have been deleted from the database between October 10 and November 14. Of these, the party said, 6 lakh were active workers who had worked at least one day in the past three years.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged this mass deletion coincides with the introduction of the e-KYC process, which is part of the government’s efforts to introduce Aadhaar-based digital processes under the guise of transparency. “This is not an isolated act but a systematic attempt to end the MGNREGA,” Ramesh said in a post on handle X.
The party has consistently demanded significant budget enhancement, stricter implementation of timely payment of wages, a minimum MGNREGA wage of Rs 400 per day, and an immediate halt to the mandatory adoption of exclusionary technology like ABPS, NMMS, and e-KYC.
Key Demands of the Congress Party:
Significant Budget Enhancement: Increase funding for MGNREGA to ensure timely payment of wages
Minimum Wage of Rs 400 per Day: Ensure decent income growth for rural workers
Standing Committee: Establish a committee to set MGNREGA wages in the future
Halt Exclusionary Technology: Stop mandatory adoption of ABPS, NMMS, and e-KYC
The government’s efforts to introduce e-KYC and other digital processes have been criticized for excluding genuine workers, particularly those in remote areas with poor digital access. The Congress party has urged the government to reconsider its approach and prioritize the rights of rural workers.