MGNREGS diluted to help corporates loot national wealth: CPI(M)

The CPI(M) on Friday (December 19) expressed anguish at the “dilution” of the MGNREGA and lambasted the Centre for covertly trying to help corporate entities “loot the national wealth”.

At a demonstration near Bapuji market here, the party leaders led by secretariat member Kankanala Anjaneyulu and district Secretary Sk. Mabu recalled that the then UPA government introduced the scheme in 2005 with the pressure exerted by the Left parties.

“It is not just renaming the scheme as ‘Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission’ to give a go-by to Mahatma’s name, the structural changes in the policy will also hit the poor workers hard,” the leaders said, maintaining that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “expressed displeasure” over the scheme way back in 2014, immediately after taking charge as the Prime Minister.

The scheme not only helped create social assets like waterbodies and check dams in rural areas, but also helped create wealth by improving the purchasing power of rural folk, said the district committee member V. Balakotaiah.