Conspiracy to halt the 100-day employment program: Minister I. Periyasamy

Tamil Nadu: Rural Development Minister I. Periyasamy has accused the central government of conspiring to amend and dismantle the 100-day employment scheme.

A statement issued by the government on Tuesday said: There are reports in the media that the BJP-led central government is going to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as the Developed India – Employment and Livelihood Mission, that the Cabinet has approved it, and that a bill in this regard will be introduced in Parliament.

The BJP government is going to introduce an amendment bill to make certain changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. According to this, they are going to make amendments such as providing 125 days of paid employment in every financial year, with 60 percent paid by the central government and 40 percent by the states, weekly payment of daily wages, and limiting work to 60 days in a financial year to facilitate the availability of agricultural laborers during the agricultural season. All these are activities that will weaken the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

The BJP-led central government is planning to increase the 100-day work to 125 days and, by making it legally binding, snatch away the people’s right to employment. Since the 100-day work scheme had eliminated the conflict between employers and laborers in agriculture, the BJP-led central government is working to push rural laborers back into agricultural servitude in favor of big capitalists. The change of not providing work under the 60-day employment guarantee scheme during the harvest season will affect the livelihoods of those who do not engage in agricultural work.

There are reports that the selection of beneficiaries will be based on multidimensional poverty indicators recommended by the central government. When the poverty index is fixed as a measure, it will directly affect states like Tamil Nadu, which are genuinely striving to eradicate poverty.

The central government has delayed the allocation of Rs. 4,000 crore to those working under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Now, they have indirectly started trying to exclude the people of Tamil Nadu from this scheme. As a result, 92 lakh poor and innocent rural people, especially rural women, will be severely affected.

The Leader of the Opposition, Edappadi Palaniswami, remains silent on the ongoing scams in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. He has stated that the amendment to the law, which could affect the people of Tamil Nadu, should be immediately withdrawn.