Shillong, Dec 18: The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has condemned the changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) made by the BJP-led NDA at the Centre
“The BJP is trying to kill the soul of MGNREGA, an unforgivable attack on social justice, the constitution, and the poorest of the people,” MPCC secretary Manuel Badwar told reporters on Thursday.
The new act takes away power from the public and gives it to the government, undermining the dignity of labour and administrative autonomy of villages.
He said that the new act would lead to reduced job guarantees and budget cuts, impacting 15 lakh people in Meghalaya, increased exploitation of labourers, with no government oversight, children being pulled out of school to work, perpetuating cycles of poverty, families trapped in debt, risking their livelihoods and land and centralized decision-making, ignoring grassroots needs.
Badwar asked the regional parties to join the protest, emphasizing that this is about the livelihoods of millions, not politics.
“This is not just about politics, this is more to do with the livelihood of millions of people who are living in Meghalaya,” he said.
