NREGA restructuring an execution order on poor: Social activist Aruna Roy
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Terming the restructuring of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) one of the worst calamities that have hit the poor, social activist Aruna Roy commented that the change is an assault on democracy and an execution order on the poor citizens of the country. The peoples law, which was framed after years of formulation, rejection and examination, cannot be set aside by some law concocted in the ministry of rural development in a few weeks or months, she said. Roy was speaking at the book release of the Malayalam version of her book The RTI Story: Power to the People, published by Chintha Publications at the Press Club here on Wednesday. Mentioning the history of the Employment Guarantee Act, Roy opined that it was an extraordinary law, which was unanimously passed in the parliament. It had been described as the best anti-poverty programme in the world by subject experts from foreign countries, and had been discussed in the European parliament, South America, North America, Africa, Indonesia, she said. Launching an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said that in his first statement in the parliament, Modi called NREGA responsible for the economic downfall in the country and RTI for policy paralysis. Speaking about the newly passed VB-GRAMG scheme, Local Self Governments Minister M B Rajesh said that more than the change in the name of the NREGA, the actual change is made in its content. The new structure will affect at least 22 lakh families will be affected by this. Of this, at least 90% are women, he said in his inaugural address.
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