Agartala: The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee alleged that the BJP government is depriving villagers by not generating man-days for MNREGA works and by misappropriating funds.
In a statement, Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Asish Kumar Saha said that under the BJP’s “anti-people double engine government,” extreme poverty has become a daily reality for people in the rural hills of Tripura.
He noted that the rural economy of Tripura is heavily dependent on MNREGA, both directly and indirectly.
“Currently, the BJP government’s pretence and misappropriation of MNREGA funds and wages have resulted in a shameful chapter of cheating workers and the poor, crippling the state’s rural economy. The people are struggling due to skyrocketing prices, rising unemployment, and a lack of government work and funds. Under BJP rule, it has become difficult for the rural poor to get two meals a day. The BJP government has halted the livelihood of village and hill residents by not generating MNREGA works,” said Saha.
He pointed out that the MNREGA scheme was launched during the Manmohan Singh government, but now the BJP leaders and ministers are misappropriating funds meant for the poor. This has led to a reduction in MNREGA work in the state and a decrease in central allocations due to detected corruption.
“The department is not implementing legal provisions such as surveillance through drones, enabling dishonest earnings. The lack of geo-tracking and social audits has led to rampant corruption and looting in MNREGA, directly affecting workers’ daily lives,” he said.
Saha alleged that the Dhalai district designated an ‘aspirational district,’ previously had an average of 150 days of employment per capita.
“But since the change of government, this district’s man-days have fallen far below the 100-day average, with 66 fewer man-days recorded in the last financial year. The current financial year’s allocation for Dhalai district has also been reduced,” he added.
He urged the state government to protect the working rights of the poor in rural and hilly areas, warning that those who undermine these rights for power will face democratic repercussions.