Shillong, Feb 4: The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Tuesday marked twenty years of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), expressing deep concern over what it described as the dismantling of a legally guaranteed right to work for rural Indians.

In a statement issued on the occasion, the MPCC said MGNREGA, which provided a demand-driven and legally enforceable right to employment, has been replaced by the VB-GRAMG scheme under the BJP-led Union Government. The party alleged that the new scheme is discretionary in nature, centrally controlled, and capped, allowing the state to withdraw when work is unavailable.

Describing the change as a setback rather than a reform, the MPCC said MGNREGA played a crucial role in supporting rural livelihoods during difficult periods. According to the party, the scheme helped reduce distress migration, enabled children to remain in school, and provided dignity to women by ensuring employment closer to home.

The Congress stated that MGNREGA was founded on the principle that poverty is not an individual failure and that the state has a responsibility to intervene when the market fails to generate employment. It said that despite implementation challenges, the programme sent a strong message to citizens that they had the right to demand work and that the government was obligated to respond.

The MPCC alleged that the replacement scheme lacks this assurance, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to hunger and economic insecurity. The party said the repeal of MGNREGA represents not just the loss of an employment programme but also the erosion of dignity and security for rural households.

Criticising the decision-makers, the MPCC said those responsible would not experience the hardships faced by rural workers, including delayed wages, food insecurity, or children dropping out of school due to lack of employment opportunities.

The Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee strongly condemned the repeal of MGNREGA and demanded the immediate restoration of a universal, demand-driven, and legally enforceable right to work. The party reiterated its solidarity with rural workers, women, Adivasis, Dalits, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups whose livelihoods, it said, depended on the scheme.

The statement was issued by Lang Kupar War, Chairman, Social Media Department, Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee.