The Opposition on Tuesday expressed concern over low wages under the national rural job scheme and the government's health programmes.
In the Rajya Sabha, Congress member Sonia Gandhi said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been undermined by the Union government by limiting its budget, keeping the wages low, and introducing an Aadhaar-based payment system and a national mobile monitoring system for online attendance.
Sonia said the budget allocation for the rural job scheme for 2025-26 had remained stagnant at ₹86,000 crore, a 10-year low in terms of the percentage of GDP. When adjusted with inflation, the budget has declined by ₹4,000 crore (over the previous year). Of the available funds, about 20 per cent will be paid towards pending dues, she said.
The MGNREGA provided up to 100 days of unskilled work to every rural household in a year. The wage rate varies from ₹243/day in Madhya Pradesh to ₹374/day in Haryana. "The BJP government is systematically undermining the scheme. The Congress demands adequate finance and the expansion of the scheme. The minimum wage under the MGNREGA should be ₹400 a day. The number of days should be increased from 100 to 150 in a year," Sonia said.
RJD leader Manoj Jha raised the issue of low remuneration paid to Asha workers engaged in the health schemes.