The Lok Sabha on Thursday witnessed sharp exchanges between Congress members and BJP ministers after Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed concern over reduction in budgetary allocations for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Ms. Gandhi said there has been a 35% reduction in allocation in the current budget compared to the 2020 Budget and several States are left with negative balance in their MGNREGA accounts to the tune of ₹5,000 crore. This has led to delays in payments to workers, she added.
Responding to her statement, Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh and Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the allegations were “far from the truth” and charged the Congress chief with politicising the issue.
