NDA govt may scrap NREGS, says Suravaram

Hyderabad: CPI National General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy alleged that the BJP-led NDA government was conspiring to scrap the MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) shortly.

Speaking at the National Executive Meeting of Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union (BKMU), he claimed that the pro-BJP economists were selling hard the idea that the scheme was wasteful of government resources and thousands of crore of money. According to him, these economists have already started providing inputs to the government on the issue.

They have suggested government that some two or three new schemes would help it as a substitute. He believed that the government was pondering on these lines.

Sudhakar cautioned that revoking the scheme would push the villagers to more hardships, as dearth of employment opportunities would encourage migration from rural areas to urban centres. He demanded government deliberate over various aspects before jumping over the conclusions.

On the issue of agriculture, he said the Central government failed to announce any clear policy on agriculture, even as most of the States were facing 50 per cent deficit rainfall. While on the other hand, the Centre was extending all the benefits to Corporates and also announced a policy of inviting 49 per cent FDI in most of the sectors, he rued.