The Congress on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of destroying employment guarantee scheme MGNREGS using “modern technology”.

Party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters that the Ministry of Rural Affairs had, through WhatsApp groups, told State Governments that generating work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme must stop. “The Centre has used modern technology to further hurt the conditions of the weakest sections in India,” the former Information and Broadcasting Minister said.

“Media reported that on July 30, one million person days were demanded over the Budget. On September 30, 54 million person days below the Budget were demanded. The reason is that in these two months, the Modi government, using unofficial channels, told State Governments to stop generating demand in MGNREGA,” Tewari alleged. He said the State governments were even threatened by the Centre. “The Modi government asked them to stop demanding their pending amounts. The nature or base of MGNREGA is that it is a demand-based scheme. It’s not an allocation-based scheme. Whatever be the demand, it is the duty of the Centre to fulfil the requirements,” he added.

Tewari also said the Centre is trying to underplay the widespread rural distress in India by manipulating the MGNREGA demand. “Money that should have gone to the poor is being artificially manipulated and stopped by this government. They have completely destroyed the manner in which the government should act under the transaction of business rules,” he added.

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