Sri Fatehgarh Sahib/Chandigarh, January 11
Why is Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann evading action in the 10,000 cases caught under the MGNREGA Act? By not taking action, is he trying to protect his party’s MLAs and leaders? These questions were raised by Punjab BJP Working State President Ashwani Sharma while addressing people at Sri Fatehgarh Sahib under the awareness campaign of the “Viksit Bharat G Ram G scheme.
Sharma said that during his visits to various parts of the state, women labourers working under the MGNREGA scheme told him that eight days of work are recorded on paper and their signatures are taken, but payment is made only for four days. He claimed that at many places, labourers do not have their job cards; instead, these are kept by influential persons or local leaders.
During his address, Sharma stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve is that every village in the country should be developed, every village should progress, every household should have access to clean drinking water, a permanent roof, and that the poor should always have food on their hearths. Keeping this objective in mind, the central government keeps improving public welfare schemes from time to time so that benefits reach the intended beneficiaries directly and transparently.
Sharma clarified that the MGNREGA scheme has neither been discontinued nor is it anti-poor; rather, its name and structure have been changed to make it more effective. He said that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are misleading Dalits, labourers, and the poor by spreading falsehoods. Earlier, MGNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment, whereas under the new G Ram G scheme, this has been increased to 125 days. He questioned whether providing more days of work to the poor is a wrong step or a decision taken in their favour, leaving it to the people to decide.
Targeting the Punjab government, he said the state has got a Chief Minister who still does not understand the seriousness of his responsibilities. He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress exposed their mindset by bringing a resolution against the G Ram G scheme in the Legislative Assembly. He said that shortcomings in a scheme can be discussed, but why such pain over the name Ram? Ram signifies both the beginning and the end of our lives.
Sharma claimed that there has been large-scale fraud with the poor under MGNREGA in Punjab. Citing figures, he said that in 2024–25, despite a guarantee of 100 days of work, labourers in many villages received only 36 days of employment, while in the current year, only 26 days of work could be provided up to December.
Sharma said that the Modi government has made legal provisions to protect the rights of labourers. If a worker does not get employment within 15 days, they are entitled to unemployment allowance. Similarly, if wages are not paid within seven days after work is completed, the government is required to make payment along with interest. He said that to eliminate corruption and ensure that the poor receive their rightful dues, the Modi government transformed MGNREGA into its new form, G Ram G. However, the ruling party in Punjab is working with policies that deprive the poor of their rights, for which the people will give an answer at the appropriate time.
