Sonia Gandhi Slams BJP Govt Over MGNREGA, Calls for Higher Wages and Timely Payments

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: Congress MP Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday criticized the BJP-led government in the Rajya Sabha, accusing it of systematically weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). She raised concerns over stagnant budget allocations, payment delays, and the exclusionary nature of the Aadhaar-based payment system.

"It is deeply concerning that the present BJP government has systematically undermined this scheme. The Budget allocation remains stagnant at Rs 86,000 crores... The scheme faces multiple challenges, including an exclusionary Aadhaar-based payment system and National Mobile Monitoring System, persistent delays in wage payments, and inadequate payments," Sonia Gandhi said.

She further demanded adequate financial provisions to strengthen MGNREGA, including:

An increase in minimum wage to ₹400 per day

Timely disbursement of wages

Expansion of the scheme to provide more employment opportunities

The MGNREGA scheme, launched in 2005 under the Congress-led UPA government, is a crucial rural employment program that guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households. However, recent reports indicate funding constraints, wage payment backlogs, and implementation hurdles due to technical issues with Aadhaar-based payments.

While the BJP government has defended its handling of MGNREGA, arguing that technology-driven monitoring has improved transparency, opposition parties have criticized the reduction in real wages and delays in fund allocation.