Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said the Central Government’s decision to discontinue MNREGA will hit rural livelihoods and that Himachal Pradesh will be among the worst affected. He was addressing a protest near the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Ridge in Shimla, joined by members of his Cabinet.
The Chief Minister said MNREGA was conceived by the Congress-led UPA government under former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi as a programme to provide rural employment and support inclusive growth. He said the scheme had been a lifeline for millions of rural families.
Sukhu said under the earlier system, works under MNREGA were planned and executed based on resolutions of Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats. He said this ensured that local priorities were reflected in development works and that people’s representatives played a central role.
He said the new mechanism sidelines Panchayats. Under the revised arrangement, planning authority has been centralised and funds will be allocated directly by the Centre. Projects will be notified only for selected areas, he added. Sukhu said this undermines grassroots decision-making and dilutes local participation.
The Chief Minister announced that the Congress Party will launch protests at district and block levels across the State. He said the aim is to expose what the party calls the anti-people nature of the decision to scrap MNREGA as it existed.
Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh will be among the worst affected because of the changed financial burden. Earlier, he said, the Central Government met the entire wage liability under MNREGA and the State Government provided an additional incentive of Rs. 80 per day to workers. Under the revised arrangement, the Centre will bear only 90 percent of the wages. The remaining liability will now fall on the State, he added.
He said MNREGA must continue in its original spirit, with works driven by Panchayat demands and based on local development needs.
The Chief Minister also said that salaries of officers and employees posted in Zila Parishads under MNREGA have been discontinued. He said this would adversely impact effective implementation of the scheme at the ground level.
On another issue, Sukhu said the State Government is firmly opposed to the Central Government’s decision to reduce import duty on apples. He cautioned that the move would severely impact apple growers in Himachal Pradesh and said the State will take up the matter strongly with the Centre to protect orchardists’ interests.
