Sonia Gandhi voices concern over MGNREGA budget allocation, payment of wages

New Delhi, March 31: Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi urged the Centre to ensure proper budget allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme while also making payment of wages to labourers within 15 days of work. Sonia Gandhi raised the issue in Lok Sabha on Thursday, saying that the MGNREGA budget for the current year is 35 percent less than that of 2020 despite the continuous rise of unemployment in the country. "The MGNREGA, which was mocked by several people a few years ago, provided timely help to crores of affected poor families during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown and played a positive role in saving the government. Still, constant cuts are being made in the budgetary allocation for the MGNREGS," said Congress's interim president. Lashing out at the BJP-led government, Sonia Gandhi stated that the workers' payments get delayed due to less allocation of budget for MGNREGS and added that the Supreme Court has called this "forced labour". She further added that the lesser allocation to the flagship scheme amounted to the weakening of the legal guarantee of timely payment and jobs. Also Read | UK Foreign Secretary in India as part of diplomatic push to counter Ukraine crisis Sonia Gandhi also asserted that timely payments to labourers should be ensured legally and an annual action plan of states be determined without any delay. "I urge Centre that proper allocation of the budget be done for MGNREGA, payment of wages be ensured for labourers within 15 days of work, and in case of delay in payment compensation should be ensured legally and an annual action plan of states be determined without any delay," Sonia Gandhi said. She further said that the labourers cannot be punished by delaying their payments due to the delayed social audit and appointment of Lokpal. "States were told that their yearly labour budget won't be approved unless they meet conditions related to social audit and appointment of Lokpal. A social audit should be made effective but labourers can't be punished by stopping the money for this, based on shortcomings," she added. Also Read | Pakistan: Imran Khan claims possessing 'threat letter' exposing foreign conspiracy to topple his govt -PTC News