Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Jitu Patwari accused the Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of ‘murdering the sole purpose’ of ‘MGNREGA’ by changing its cost sharing structure in replacement scheme-- G-Ram-G [Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)].
He slammed Chouhan for painting a wrong narrative against Congress and falsely accusing the party of "having problem with Lord Ram."
Patwari asserted the problem is not with Ram, but the structure of the scheme. "Use Ram's name twice in MGNREGA, we have absolutely no problem."
Speaking about Minister's Chouhan's explanation about the cost structure of the G-Ram-G, he questioned how the state (Madhya Pradesh), which is constantly in debt, is going to take care of 40% of the allowances.
Notably, the cost sharing structure between centre and state to fund G-Ram-G will be in the ratio of 60:40 respectively.
He added that, “Aapko bata padega ki aapne yojna ka praroop hai, usme 40% paisa jo hai, wo rajya shasan ko supurd kar diya hai. Kitni bhi aap baatein karo, par kya Madhya Pradesh shasan ki arth vyavastha humein permit karti hai 40% paise MGNREGA mein dena?......(You will have to answer Shivraj Ji! 40% of the responsibility has been handed over to the state government. No matter how much you talk, does the financial condition of the Madhya Pradesh government allow it to provide 40% of the money for MGNREGA?)”
“Jo sarkar roz ₹200 crore rupaye karz leti hai, jo aapne chalan chalu kiya…₹5000 crore rupaye ka karz legi aaj sarkar…abhi jis din saal samapt hua us din ₹3.5k crore ka karz liya…pure saal me 1 lakh crore ka karz liya, sampattiyan bechi jaa rahi hain, 1100 sampatti ₹1100 crore me bech di….abhi 5 sampattiyan bechni ke liye sarkar tadap rahi hai……to aise me kaise 40% wo denge?... (A government that borrows ₹200 crore every day. You started this system. Today itself, the government will take a loan of ₹5k crore. On the last day of the financial year, the government took a loan of ₹3,500 crore. Over the entire year, it borrowed ₹1 lakh crore. Government assets are being sold - 1,100 assets were sold for ₹1,100 crore - and now the government is desperate to sell five more assets. In such a situation, how will it provide the 40% share?),” he concluded.
In the end, Patwari said that Shivraj Ji may add Lord Ram’s name twice in the new MGNREGA law if he wishes, but he must stop taking away the livelihood of our poor workers in the name of Maryada Purushottam Ram.
