Mounesh Vishwakarma

Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Jan 29: Former minister B Ramanath Rai alleged that the Modi-led central government is attempting to erase the name of Mahatma Gandhiji by changing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), warning that any alteration to the scheme would harm the poor and stall rural development.

He was speaking at a public meeting held in front of the Bantwal mini Vidhana Soudha after a padayatra organised by the Bantwal and Panemangaluru block Congress committees on Wednesday, as part of the Congress party’s ‘NREGA Bachao Sangram’. The padayatra was held from Manihalla to Kaikamba, with participation from party leaders and workers.

Rai said that when the employment guarantee scheme was implemented, it was hailed as one of the best programmes in the world and was named after Mahatma Gandhiji, who envisioned gram swaraj. “Now efforts are being made to remove Gandhiji’s name. Changes to the scheme are causing injustice to the poor,” he said.

He expressed concern over the 60:40 funding ratio, stating that it has created several difficulties. He alleged that the Centre has been discriminating against Congress-ruled states in the release of funds and warned that states would find it difficult to contribute their 40 per cent share, which could eventually lead to the scheme coming to a standstill.

Rai further said that under the revised framework, panchayats would lose the authority to take independent decisions, thereby affecting the autonomy of both panchayats and state governments. He added that job card holders were facing difficulties due to shortage of funds and claimed that development activities had taken a severe hit.

Stating that laws brought in by the Congress had benefitted the people, Rai said the party’s programmes were aimed at ensuring food and livelihood for the poor, while policies introduced by the BJP government had caused hardship. “That is why we have organised this padayatra. Genuine Congress workers, including women’s Congress and youth Congress members, have participated despite the heat,” he said.

Block presidents Chandrashekar Bhandary and Balakrishna Anchan, party leaders Padmashekar Jain, Piyush L Rodrigues, Chandraprakash Shetty, M S Mohammed, Baby Kunder, Sudeep Kumar Shetty, Sanjeeva Poojary Birva, Ashwini Kumar Rai, Padmanabha Rai, Shabbir Siddakatte, B M Abbas Ali, Ibrahim Nawaz Badakabail, Sudarshan Jain, Ganesh Poojary, Lavina Moras, Mamata Gatti, Jayanti Poojary, Josephin D’Souza, Mohammed Nandavar, Venkappa Poojary, Mallika Shetty, Sadashiva Bangera, Siddique Guddeyangadi, Lolaksha Shetty and Ibrahim Kailar, along with office-bearers of the women’s and youth Congress and leaders of various party units, were present.