Bhalla, Sawhney, Mula Ram attend meet
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: While continuing 45-day MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, District Jammu Rural Congress Organised ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ programme at Block Bhalwal to Defend Rural Employment Rights.
In a resolute show of solidarity with rural workers, the District Jammu Rural Congress Committee today organised a powerful programme under the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ campaign at Block Bhalwal.
The event was led by JKPCC vice president Hari Singh Chib, who emphasised the urgent need to protect the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a lifeline for millions of poor rural families.
The programme was marked the formal welcome of the newly appointed District president of the Jammu Rural Congress Committee by the Block Bhalwal unit.
Working president JKPCC Raman Bhalla chaired the meeting, which saw enthusiastic participation from party workers and local leaders.
Prominent among the attendees were former Minister Mula Ram, PCC Observer and former Minister Yogesh Sawhney, PCC Observer Nirdosh Sharma, and District president Neeraj Kundan.
Addressing the gathering, Raman Bhalla strongly condemned the VB-G RAM G Scheme (Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin), introduced by the BJP-led Central Government to replace MGNREGA. He described it as a direct attack on the employment rights of poor people in rural areas, accusing the government of undermining a scheme that has provided guaranteed wage employment and dignity to lakhs of households.
Former Minister Mula Ram highlighted that the reduction in funds allocated to MGNREGA by the Centre in recent years is an indirect attempt to weaken and eventually shut down this vital scheme, pushing rural families deeper into poverty and distress.
PCC observer and former Minister Yogesh Sawhney asserted that MGNREGA has been the **biggest support** for the rural population, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir’s villages. He criticised the BJP government for effectively abolishing it by replacing it with the VB-G RAM G scheme, which he said dilutes the legal guarantee of employment and shifts focus away from the immediate needs of the poor.
The programme reaffirmed the Congress party’s commitment to intensifying the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram across Jammu and Kashmir as part of the nationwide agitation against the dilution of rural employment rights.
The post MGNREGA Bachao campaign to reach each Panchayat: Kundan appeared first on Daily Excelsior.