Dynamite News Sonia Gandhi for Rs 400 minimum wage, guaranteed 150 workdays under MGNREGA
The UPA government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enacted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005. Read further on Dynamite News:
New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday demanded raising of minimum wages to Rs 400 and the number of 150 workdays under the MGNREGA.
Sonia Gandhi raised the issue through a Zero Hour mention in the Rajya Sabha. She said the BJP government at the Centre has "systematically undermined" the scheme by keeping the Budget allocation for it stagnant.
MGNREGA Act
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Sonia Gandhi said the UPA government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh enacted the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005.
"This landmark legislation has been a crucial safety net for millions of rural poor. However, it is deeply concerning that the present BJP government has systematically undermined the scheme," Sonia Gandhi said.
Adequate financial provisions be made to sustain and expand the scheme, she said.
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The budget allocation (for the scheme) remains stagnant at Rs 86,000 crore, a 10-year low as a percentage of GDP, she alleged.
"Additionally, the scheme faces multiple challenges, including the exclusionary Aadhaar-based payment and the National Mobile Monitoring System, persistent delays in wage payment and wage rates not adequate to compensate for inflation," she claimed.