Alleged that the Centre had shifted nearly 40 per cent of the funding burden of the scheme onto the states while failing to release its share of funds on time Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Centre, alleging that the newly introduced Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) — G RAM G — was an attempt to weaken states and undermine the poor.
“They want to snatch bread from the mouths of the poor by replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. But I assure you that we will not let that happen. We are here to protect their rights,” Mann said.
The Chief Minister was interacting with villagers during a visit to his native Satauj village, where he also recalled memories associated with the place.
Mann alleged that the Centre had shifted nearly 40 per cent of the funding burden of the scheme onto the states while failing to release its share of funds on time. As a result, he said, workers were no longer permitted to undertake development works, including construction of schools, mandis and drains. Through such steps, the Centre intended to eventually shut down the employment guarantee scheme altogether, he claimed. During his interaction with panchayat representatives and villagers, Mann said, “I have not come here to deliver a speech, but to share the joys and sorrows of my people.”
Appealing for unity, he said factionalism hindered development and prosperity. He alleged that some leaders fuelled divisions in villages for personal interests, thereby hampering growth.
Interacting with the media, Mann urged parents to actively participate in parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) scheduled for December 20 in all 19,000 government schools across the state. He said Punjab was the first state to introduce PTMs in government schools and that the initiative had received an enthusiastic response from parents. The meetings, he said, helped parents understand their children’s interests and progress through direct interaction with teachers. To improve education quality, principals and teachers were being provided world-class training, he added.
On employment, Mann claimed that every capable and eligible youth in the state was being provided government jobs without corruption or nepotism.
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