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Payment of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) scheme has now been decided to be made through Aadhaar Based Payment System (ABPS). The Congress termed it Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'cruel New Year's gift' and said it would exclude crores of poor and marginalized citizens from earning a basic income.
The Ministry of Rural Development has not extended the December 31 deadline to implement the Aadhaar-based Payment System (ABPS). Aadhaar details of workers were to be linked to employment cards.
Posted on X by Jairam Ramesh, Modi government continues to experiment with destructive technology. The Indian National Congress has said it condemns the Prime Minister's 'brutal New Year's gift' that excludes crores of poor and marginalized Indians from earning basic income through public works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The Indian National Congress reiterates its demands from August 30, 2023. Modi government should stop weaponizing technology. Demands to stop denying social welfare benefits to vulnerable Indians especially in the name of Aadhaar, release delayed salary payments.
Ramesh said in a statement that there are 25.69 crore workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, of which 14.33 crore are considered active workers and of which 34.8 per cent (8.9 crore) and 12.7 per cent (1.8 crore) are ineligible for ABPS respectively.
Jairam Ramesh, citing the 2023 ministry's response that no employment cards will be deleted as the workers are not eligible for ABPS, said that since April 2022, employment cards of 7.6 crore workers have been deleted. It said that 1.9 crore cards were deleted in the first 9 months of the current financial year.
The audit showed that the Modi government's rush to implement Aadhaar authentication and ABPS led to the deletion of a significant number of cards. Casting doubt on the statement that various stakeholders have found ABPS as the best way for payment of wages, Ramesh asked the ministry to clarify who these stakeholders are and when these consultations were held. The Ministry's claim of increase in payment efficiency due to ABPS remains baseless.
From the new year, payment of all wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) scheme has been made mandatory through Aadhaar Based Payment System (ABPS). For this it is necessary to link Aadhaar details of workers with their employment cards. The 5th deadline for making ABPS mandatory has ended on December 31, 2023.
Indian National Congress condemns the Prime Minister’s cruel New Year gift to exclude crores of the poorest and marginalised Indians from earning a basic income through public works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The Indian National… pic.twitter.com/ykWAhaexL7
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) January 1, 2024
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