CM Majhi Criticises Congress Over MGNREGA, Promotes New Rural Jobs Scheme
Majhi said that although the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) assured 100 days of employment, beneficiaries were, in reality, receiving barely 50 days of work
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday alleged that the previous Congress-led government at the Centre sought to gain political mileage by attaching Mahatma Gandhi’s name to the rural employment guarantee scheme, while failing to deliver its promised benefits.
Addressing a joint press conference with Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal, Majhi said that although the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) assured 100 days of employment, beneficiaries were, in reality, receiving barely 50 days of work.
The Chief Minister said the newly introduced ‘VB G RAM G’ initiative, implemented under the Central government’s ‘VB G RAM G Act’, aims to eliminate corruption and ensure greater employment opportunities for rural households. Under the new scheme, beneficiaries will be assured 125 days of employment, he added.
Majhi claimed that earlier welfare schemes failed to effectively reach the poor and alleged that funds were siphoned off through fraudulent practices. “Such irregularities will no longer be tolerated under the new system,” he said.
Referring to the addition of Mahatma Gandhi’s name to the employment programme in 2009, the Chief Minister said the association did not translate into the desired success on the ground.
Majhi reiterated that building a Developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047 remains the government’s long-term vision. He said the Prime Minister’s sole objective was to increase guaranteed employment days and ensure transparency, adding that controversies over the naming of the scheme were unnecessary.
“The aim of the scheme is to deliver results, not to take political advantage by using Mahatma Gandhi’s name,” the Chief Minister said.
