Govt carrying out 'planned euthanasia' of MGNREGA: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday accused the Centre of carrying out a "planned euthanasia" of MGNREGS by "inordinately delaying" the funding of social audits, claiming this results in compromising the process which is used by the government to deny funds to the states.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) social audit units were in a state of paralysis in many states.

ग्राम सभा के द्वारा किया जाने वाला सोशल ऑडिट महात्मा गांधी राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण रोज़गार गारंटी अधिनियम का एक अनिवार्य हिस्सा है। यह जवाबदेही सुनिश्चित करने और पारदर्शिता को बढ़ाने के लिए है - मूल रूप से इसका उद्देश्य भ्रष्टाचार पर रोक लगाना है।



प्रत्येक राज्य में एक स्वतंत्र सोशल… https://t.co/6XnPNUp4Ch

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 29, 2023

In his post, Ramesh said the social audits by the gram sabha are an essential part of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.  They are meant to enforce accountability and enhance transparency — basically to stamp out corruption, he said.

"Each state has an independent social audit that is funded directly by the Centre so as to preserve its autonomy. Of late this funding has been getting inordinately delayed," Ramesh said.

"As a result, social audits don't get done on time, and the social audit process gets compromised, which is then used as an excuse by the Modi government to deny funds to the states, that in turn affects wage payments and so on," he said.

"This is nothing but a planned euthanasia of MGNREGA — by trapping the scheme in a chakravyuh," Ramesh alleged.