Addressing the issue on Wednesday, Cheema alleged that the Centre is steadily diluting the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a scheme designed to provide guaranteed employment to rural households and ensure basic livelihood security. According to the minister, the programme was created to offer financial stability to economically vulnerable families, but recent policy decisions have placed its very existence at risk.
Cheema claimed that while MGNREGA was originally funded entirely by the central government, the financial responsibility is now increasingly being shifted onto states. He said this change has imposed a burden worth crores of rupees on state governments, many of which are already struggling with fiscal pressures. The Punjab minister further alleged that funds already allocated to states under the scheme have been withheld, affecting timely wage payments and implementation at the ground level.
The minister asserted that these developments amount to an erosion of the rights of the poor, accusing the Centre of attempting to quietly dismantle a welfare programme that has served as a critical safety net for millions of rural workers. He warned that reduced funding and delayed disbursements could leave vulnerable families without income support, particularly during periods of economic stress.
Cheema announced that the Punjab government would strongly oppose any move to weaken or discontinue the scheme. He said the state would raise the issue at every appropriate platform and fight what he described as an attack on the rights and dignity of rural labourers.
The controversy underscores growing tensions between the Centre and opposition-ruled states over welfare funding and federal responsibilities. As debates intensify around the future of MGNREGA, the outcome is likely to have significant implications for rural employment, state finances, and the broader framework of social welfare policy in India.
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