November 27, 2014
Nadimul Haque speaks during the Calling Attention Motion on MGNREGS | Transcript
On the Employment Guarantee Scheme I think, Sir, the name should be changed. This Guarantee part should be dropped because two crore rural landless people who have applied for work, not even one of them have got a single day of work since this Government has come into power.
Does the Government realise the seriousness of the situation and by not implementing this scheme they are defeating the purpose of this whole programme? They have cut the allocation from Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 13,000 crore in the April to September quarter. Sir, this is double standards. They are not abolishing the Scheme but at the same time they are starving it of funds. So instead of having this double standard, Sir, you should stop the scheme. If you are not interested in carrying out the scheme you should simply stop it.
Sir, West Bengal is one of the best, it is the best in fact, performing State in this Scheme. Instead of rewarding it we are punishing it. Sir, reduction in this Scheme is going to hit Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. These states Sir, have a huge rural population. And even the arid areas of Rajasthan are going to be affected with it. Sir, this scheme is being implemented in 2500 blocks. Why is the Government looking to reduce these blocks I cannot understand, Sir.
In MNREGA, as Speakers before me had said Sir, for every Rs 100 spent, Rs 60 is given for labour component and the rest in the material component. Our demand, Sir, is that it should not be changed to Rs 51 in the labour component and Rs 49 in the material component. Instead, Sir, we suggest that the Government should take technical assistance and expert help in implementing this Scheme in the Gram Panchayat levels.
Sir, my last point is that… Is the Minister aware that 15 of India’s leading economists have opposed this proposal to divide the Scheme, Sir? Is this Government going to ignore their view, or are they only going to implement the view of one person, Sir? The country wants to know; that is my question, Sir.
