MGNREGA needs to be strengthened to deal lockdown-induced financial crunch: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said the weaker sections in the country were getting relief due to MGNREGA even during the testing times of the second wave of COVID-19

Congress leader and Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the country has a tool in the form Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005 to come out of financial crunch due to lockdown.

The second wave of COVID-19 has severely impacted household incomes and jobs as local lockdowns remain imposed in most states.

The impact of these local restrictions has been felt by people working in the informal sector, according to Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).

In this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi stated that the weaker sections in the country were getting relief due to MGNREGA even during the testing times of the second wave of COVID-19.

“The weaker section of the country is getting relief from MGNREGA this time too,” he said, adding, “To deal with the financial crunch caused by the lockdown, it is necessary to strengthen this scheme further.”

Rahul Gandhi further said that the people belong to India, no matter who ran the government and that public interest was a prime responsibility.

“Whoever the government is, the people belong to India and public interest is our responsibility,” Rahul said.

It is in place to mention here that MGNREGA is a labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. This act was passed in September 2005 under the UPA government of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.

It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.