Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur on Sunday strongly criticized the Congress party, accusing it of misleading the country over reforms related to MNREGA. Addressing a press conference in Mandi, he said the Congress is frustrated after losing power and is spreading false information about the central government’s employment schemes.
Jairam Thakur said that claims by the Congress that the NDA government is abolishing MNREGA are baseless, and that the new Developed India Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Mission is a more advanced and effective version of the earlier scheme. He added that merely renaming a scheme does not mean scrapping it, and leaders of a government that shut down around 2,000 public institutions after coming to power should refrain from making such allegations.
He explained that while MNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment, the new mission increases it to 125 days and focuses not only on employment but also on livelihood creation. Payments will be ensured weekly within 15 days, and digital tracking with biometric monitoring will help prevent corruption and leakages.
Highlighting financial provisions, Jairam Thakur said that while the Centre–State funding ratio will be 60:40 for general states, Himachal Pradesh and other hilly and northeastern states will continue to receive central assistance in a 90:10 ratio. He also pointed out that the MNREGA budget was ₹33,000 crore during the Congress regime in 2014, which was increased to ₹1.10 lakh crore under the Modi government in 2020–21, with substantial allocations continuing in subsequent years.
He said the mission aligns with the vision of Developed India 2047, aiming to link youth with industries through skill development, promote women’s participation through self-help groups, generate rural employment using local resources, and reduce migration. Provision for unemployment allowance if work is not provided within 15 days has also been retained.
Jairam Thakur concluded that while the Congress is indulging in negative politics, the Modi government is focused on long-term solutions for poverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor. Senior BJP leaders and MLAs were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Jairam Thakur attended the annual prize distribution ceremony of Angel Public School in Sundernagar, where he felicitated meritorious students, and later inaugurated the newly constructed Hotel Kartikeyan in Sundernagar.
