Govt carrying out 'planned euthanasia' of MGNREGA: Cong

The Congress on Friday, 29 September accused the Centre of carrying out a "planned euthanasia" of MGNREGS by "inordinately delaying" the funding of social audits, claiming this results in compromising the process which is used by the government to deny funds to the states.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) social audit units were in a state of paralysis in many states.

In his post, Ramesh said the social audits by the gram sabha are an essential part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.  They are meant to enforce accountability and enhance transparency — basically to stamp out corruption, he said.

"Each state has an independent social audit that is funded directly by the Centre so as to preserve its autonomy. Of late this funding has been getting inordinately delayed," Ramesh said.

"As a result, social audits don't get done on time, and the social audit process gets compromised, which is then used as an excuse by the Modi government to deny funds to the states, that in turn affects wage payments and so on," he said.

"This is nothing but a planned euthanasia of MGNREGA — by trapping the scheme in a chakravyuh," Ramesh alleged.