Centre targeting MGNREGA to favour select corporate interests: Pargat Singh

Sangrur, December 27, 2025: Former Union Education Minister and MLA Pargat Singh on Friday alleged that the BJP-led Central Government is systematically moving towards dismantling MGNREGA, the flagship employment guarantee scheme introduced during the tenure of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, to favour select corporate interests.
He said the Central Government has already failed to address rising unemployment and is now attempting to dilute the legal guarantee of 100 days of employment for nearly 12 crore people. “This move will severely impact rural workers and marginalised communities who depend on MGNREGA for livelihood security,” he said.
Pargat Singh also criticised the Punjab Government for poor implementation of the scheme. Citing official data, he stated that the state has provided an average of only 50 days of employment per household, while achieving merely 38% of its annual target in 2025.
He further warned that the proposed 40% cost-sharing model under the revised framework would impose an additional financial burden of ₹30,000 to ₹50,000 crore on the states. “The Centre continues to collect taxes in full but is shifting financial responsibility onto states, many of which are already under severe fiscal stress,” he said, adding that Punjab alone is burdened with a debt of ₹4.17 lakh crore.
Taking aim at the AAP-led Punjab government, Pargat Singh said the state should have led protests in Delhi against the Centre’s move instead of convening short special sessions that divert attention from critical issues. He called for a regular legislative session to debate MGNREGA, law and order, and other pressing matters.
He alleged that the Central Government is corporatising MGNREGA to ensure the availability of cheap labour for private entities. Referring to the COVID-19 period, he said many migrant workers did not return to urban centres as they found employment under MGNREGA in their home states. He also expressed concern over what he described as attempts to weaken the National Food Security Act and the ongoing restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Pargat Singh appealed to farmers’ organisations to stand in solidarity with workers, recalling the joint farmer–labourer mobilisation during protests in Delhi. He said the Congress party would not remain silent and would launch a nationwide campaign to protect MGNREGA. “Our workers will take this issue to every village, street, and neighbourhood and turn it into a mass movement,” he asserted.