(MOREPIC1) Face2News/Chandigarh
Mounting a fierce and factual offensive against the BJP-led Centre Government for dismantling MGNREGA and misleading the poor, Punjab Cabinet Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state president Mr. Aman Arora termed the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), VB-G RAM G, a calculated move to deny guaranteed employment.
While addressing the house during discussion on official resolution on VB-G RAM G during special session of 16th Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Mr. Aman Arora challenged the very foundation of the scheme. He stated, “They talk about an 'average' of 26 days of employment in Punjab. Even if we accept this dubious average, my question is, what was the purpose of increasing the days from 100 to 125? This is nothing but making fools of the people. If a MGNREGA labourer knows he won't get wages for 6-8 months, will he show up for work? Even if Panchayats want to start projects, how will they pay for materials if funds are not released from the top? The Centre has single-handedly killed this scheme.”
He elaborated that the original law was demand-driven, guaranteeing work as per the need of the workers. “Now, it has been made supply-driven. The Centre sitting in Delhi will decide which state, district, block and village will get work. They have ripped out the very heart of the guaranteed employment”, Mr. Arora asserted.
Presenting stark calculations to BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma, Mr Arora stated, “In Punjab alone, we have around 30.20 lakh job card holders. If you promise them 125 days at Rs 346 per day, the required budget is over Rs 13,062 crores. With 15.5 crore job card holders nationwide, guaranteeing 125 days of work at Rs 346 per day would cost a whopping Rs 6.70 lakh crore – roughly equivalent to India's entire defence budget. If the Centre is promising this in the upcoming budget, only then we can believe their guarantee. Otherwise, it is a cruel hoax.”
Turning the tables on the opposition for alleging corruption in MGNREGA, Mr. Aman Arora said that the scams had happened during the SAD-BJP and Congress regimes. He stated that they siphoned money, but Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has recovered Rs 2 crores of looted public money and took strict action against 42 individuals.
Citing official data, Mr. Aman Arora revealed, “Punjab has received Rs 11,700 crore under MGNREGA since 2005. In the 10 years of the Akali-BJP alliance (2007-2017) regime, only about Rs 1988 crores were utilised under the scheme in Punjab. In 5 years (2017-2022) of Congress rule, it was Rs 4708 crores were utilised under MGNREGA. In contrast, in just three and half years rule of the CM Mann-led AAP government has ensured that Rs 5,131 crores reached the homes of the poor, despite the Centre withholding funds for months under the scheme.
Urging the Chief Minister to order a probe into MGNREGA scams that occurred in Muktsar, Gidderbaha, Abohar and Fazilka under previous regimes, which are the bastions of Congress state president and former Minister Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and BJP State President Sunil Kumar Jakhar, he said that the opposition's own leaders were involved in scandals. Now, they shed crocodile tears, but we won’t let them deceive Punjab’s people.
