Punjab AAP Urges States to Oppose Replacement of MGNREGA with Viksit Bharat Rozgar Scheme
The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab Saturday urged all the states to oppose replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) saying that it was a threat to the federal structure. State’s rural development and panchayats minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that Punjab is set to lose Rs 650 crore annually once the new scheme is implemented. He said that even the BJP-ruled states will suffer losses worth over Rs 2,000 crore. Punjab is already convening a special session of Vidhan Sabha to pass a resolution against the scheme on December 30. He said the scheme will inevitably harm the Scheduled Castes and poor population of the states. also, the state did not hold gram Sabhas on Friday and defied the Centre. Sond said, “I am writing to all my counterparts in other states and warning them about the detrimental effects of the new law, which will affect the Scheduled Castes and the poor who depend on …
