NPCC PAC member Chenithung Humtsoe alleges Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin will dilute MGNREGA rights during a press meet in Wokha.
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WOKHA — Chenithung Humtsoe, Political Affairs Committee (PAC) member of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) member from the 40 Bhandari Assembly Constituency, alleged on Saturday that the “Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), 2025 (VB—G RAM G)” would dilute the legal rights guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
He was speaking at a press conference held as part of the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ at the Wokha District Congress Office along with party colleagues as part of the nationwide agitation launched by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) against the mission.
He maintained that the measure was not aimed at strengthening livelihoods but instead posed a threat to the right to work, fair wages, and accountability.
Humtsoe pointed out that MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee of 100 days of work annually in every village with assured minimum wages. Under the proposed changes, however, the legal guarantee to work would be removed, employment would be subject to government discretion, and work would be restricted to selected villages.
Also read: Congress gears up for nationwide ‘Save MGNREGA’ campaign
Raising concerns over state finances, he said states would be required to bear 40 per cent of wage costs, which could lead to reduced employment opportunities.
The Congress party, he added, is demanding the restoration of MGNREGA, reinstatement of the right to work, an all-India minimum wage of INR 400 per day, and stronger accountability measures.