What is behind the removal of Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA?

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has provided employment to 15.5 crore active workers. Among them 50% are women. Majority beneficiaries are from depressed classes like SCs, STs. This was the Gandhiji’s dream of gram Swarajyam. But Modi is bent upon further uplifting of 100 corporate families. Hence Modi since coming to power in 2014 he is trying to weaken this scheme and dismantle it. He was making Goebbelsian propaganda against this Act and the scheme. Removing name of Mahatma Gandhi is nothing but to satisfy his saffron disciples of Godse who had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. He is making every effort to replace it by another Act.

New one seems to be in favour of rural unemployed. Number of days in a year has increased from 100 days to 150 days. This change is just mere eye wash. Second change is 60 per cent of expenses are to be borne by respective states. In this case smaller states cannot afford and ultimately this scheme will practically collapse. Actually this scheme is meant for laying roads, digging canals for smooth flow of irrigation water etc.

Village panchayats do not have a say to decide what work has to be taken up. Central government only dictates what work has to be taken up. The proposed bill has not spelt out single word about wage increase in the midst of high consumer price index. This is the approach of NDA government headed by saffron leader Modi towards 15.5 crore rural beneficiaries compared to hundred corporate friends.

So far till now government has spent ₹10 lakhs crore in this scheme. Above all suicides absolutely have decreased considerably in rural India. Whatever the suicides are taking place those are in farming sector due to lack of minimum support price and remunerative price for agricultural produce.

The government has not unearthed statics of deaths of unemployed in rural areas. Is it a difficult job for the Centre? That is clear manifestation of intentional not taken up statics of suicides of rural unemployed in these 20 years i.e. since enactment of MGNREGA.

BJP government through tax concessions upto financial year 2021-2022, Rs 8 lakh crore were given to his corporate friends. Aftermath of this till 2024 Rs 3 lakh crore concessions were given. This amounts to total of Rs 11 lakh crore to mere 100 corporate families whereas for 15.5 crore persons it has spent mere Rs 10 lakh crores.

This BJP leader has not satisfied with this but gone to the extent of waiving of loans taken to the extent of Rs 16.5 lakh crore by corporate sharks. That means in total it has given a concession of Rs 28 lakh crore to 100 corporate friends but on spending Rs 10 lakhs crores to 15.5 crores people, Sangh Parivar is making hell of noise.

This scheme was proposed by Left parties and enacted by UPA-1 led by Congress. That is the reason Modi government wants o to replace MGNREGA by new Act and accordingly they are moving towards proposing a Bill. These facts glaringly indicate that BJP government is pro- corporate sector consisting of 100 billionaires, but not in favour of 15.5 crore rural poor.

We got independence nearly eight decades back . But still poverty, hunger, unemployment menace are haunting India. Modi is trying to impress the populace of the country with his rhetoric speeches by stating that India will be converted into 3 trillion rupee economy. Though the real situation is being exposed. Number of migrants are increasing to urban areas. Main reason being is agruculture has become non profitable. Farmers are becoming bankrupt. Farmers are taking private loans and unable to repay and resorting to suicides. They are not getting remunerative price for agricultural produce or even minimum support price.

In Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh tomato farmers are throwing away tomatoes on streets as they are not getting remunerative price. Cotton farmers of Warangal district of Telangana are also facing same problem. In certain parts of Telangana, Rayalaseema and Uttaraandhra famine menace is haunting. In coastal Andhra farmers are facing the problem of floods and heavy rains and farmers are crying by showing soaked rice videos of many channels.

In this background during the UPA -1 regime Left parties had proposed the rural employment guarantee scheme. The idea of putting an end of suicides of rural unemployed is revolutionary one. If the scheme is implemented more number of migrations will be stopped. But the then Union Finance Minister Chidambaram had opposed severely but due to pressure of Left parties he was compelled to agree upon the scheme. Ultimately as this scheme was dream of Gandhiji scheme was named as “ Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” and started its implementation since 2006.

But since 2014 BJP led NDA government is trying to dilute the scheme in many ways. Now at present in order to satisfy disciples of Godse, the name of Mahatma Gandhi is removed and in place of present enactment new Act will be replaced. In coming years they may do not lag behind to demolish statues of Mahatma Gandhi as well.

In recent period huge publicity started by Sangh Parivar as India has became as developed country and it is next biggest economy after America and China. As country’s GDP has grown up it is boasting as India is also a developed nation. One cannot call a country as developed nation if number of billionaires have increased and GDP is being increased. But the fact is growth should be inclusive growth and per capita GDP should also increase in order to measure living standards of people on the whole.

In the country the government is spending lakhs of rupees to create engineers, doctors and other intellectuals. But due to brain drain to other nations our engineers etc are serving America and creating wealth for them. There is a malicious propaganda that with the employment guarantee scheme government funds are being wasted and many rural youth are becoming lazy. This propaganda is totally baseless. In Soviet union Lenin,Supremo of Communist party of Soviet union had introduced “Subodniks” . In this program every citizen top to bottom had to work 8 hours. By this everybody in the country knew value of labour.

With this inspiration I have also worked in rural employment guarantee scheme in my native village Ainambaakam for continuous eight hours. I had my lunch along with workers in the work field itself. In India many times clean and green program is being conducted. However If anybody speak about this scheme as it is waste that is injustice economically and socially cruel. According to this scheme the money will go into accounts of beneficiaries within 15 days. This Act should be implemented properly. 8 hours working day should be implemented properly.

However what are the weakness of the scheme and it’s implementation. In rural places landlords and influential political leaders take signatures of innocent people and misuse the funds. Such corrupt persons should be arrested and their assets be seized.

This Act is not depended upon any body’s mercy. This is a fundamental right which gives us “right to work.” This protects the right of equal wages for equal work. But at the same time the government has given concessions to corporate sector to the tune of Rs 28 lakhs crore . In this background why not we protect the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Responsibility lies on every democratic party and force to protect this progressive Act.

(The writer is Chairman, Central Control Commission, CPI)