AAP failed to provide MGNREGA jobs before new law: Warring
Seeks probe into bungling in cleaning of Budha Nullah
Punjab Newsline, Ludhiana-
The District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) of Ludhiana district on Friday passed a unanimous resolution opposing the proposed Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB–G RAM G] Bill, 2025, terming it anti-poor and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
The meeting was presided over by Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, at the District Administrative Complex here today.
The committee expressed serious concern over the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, particularly the proposed shift from 100 per cent central funding of wages to a 60:40 Centre–State cost-sharing formula, stating that Punjab’s weak fiscal position makes such a model unviable.
Highlighting Punjab’s financial stress, the resolution noted that the state’s public debt is projected to touch Rs 4.17 lakh crore by March 2026, amounting to over 46 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product, leaving little fiscal space to absorb additional welfare liabilities.
The committee observed that despite structural limitations such as highly mechanised agriculture and dependence on migrant labour, MGNREGA has remained a crucial safety net in Punjab, especially for Scheduled Caste workers who constitute about 70.55 per cent of active job card holders.
It pointed out that Punjab generated an average of only 40.8 days of employment per household in 2024–25, significantly below the national average of over 50 days, and warned that imposing higher state contributions could further weaken implementation and delay wage payments.
The DISHA panel cautioned that provisions under the new scheme, including Aadhaar-linked payments and seasonal pauses in employment, could lead to exclusion of vulnerable households, distress migration and erosion of rural consumption.
Special concern was expressed over Ludhiana district, where only one per cent of households receiving work under MGNREGA were able to complete the full 100 days of employment, calling for urgent corrective measures to strengthen rural employment generation.
The committee demanded continuation of MGNREGA with full central wage support and called for wide-ranging consultations with state governments, workers’ organisations and experts before any policy change. It also urged the Punjab government to take up the matter at the national level and explore legal and constitutional options to safeguard the right to work.
Later talking to reporters, Ludhiana MP Raja Warring said that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab had already failed in implementing MGNREGA in the state. He pointed out, while the new law cam just recently, during the last four years the AAP government had completely failed in implementing the scheme.
Warring also sought a probe into the spending on the cleaning of the Budha Nullah. He said, while huge sums have been spent on cleanliness, nothing has happened on the ground. He said he will raise the matter in the parliament also. Fatehgarh Sahib MP Dr Amar Singh was also present during the meeting.