CITU Calls for Nationwide Protests on Centre’s Move Against MGNREGA Bill

Thiruvananthapuram: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has strongly criticised the BJP-led Union government for what it described as an attempt to dismantle the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), warning that the move would threaten the livelihood and food security of India’s rural poor.

In a statement, CITU said the proposed amendments--including changes to the scheme’s structure and even its name--signal the Centre’s gradual withdrawal from its commitment to the employment guarantee program. The union recalled that MGNREGA was introduced during the first UPA government as a result of pressure from the Left parties through the Common Minimum Program, and has since served as a crucial safety net for poor workers.

CITU expressed serious concern over the Centre’s proposal to reduce its funding share for the scheme from 100 per cent to 60 per cent, shifting the remaining burden to states. For Kerala, which has efficiently implemented centrally sponsored schemes without financial waste, this would translate into an additional annual liability of around 1,200 crore rupees, the union said, citing state finance ministry estimates.

The union warned that states like Kerala would find it increasingly difficult to sustain the scheme amid reduced central allocations and the lack of authority to raise additional funds independently. CITU also pointed out that Kerala is the only state to have implemented a separate welfare fund for MGNREGA workers, which could be destabilised if the proposed amendment bill is passed.

According to CITU, the changes amount to a denial of the constitutionally guaranteed right to work. The union accused the Union government of favouring large corporate houses through massive loan write-offs and incentives, while betraying the very rural workers whose votes helped bring it to power.

Reiterating that MGNREGA workers are an integral part of the working class, CITU said it would launch an intensified protest movement until the Centre withdraws the proposed bill. The state committee of CITU has called upon workers across Kerala to participate in the nationwide protest announced by Left parties on December 22.

CITU further stated that the protection of MGNREGA would be taken up as a key issue in the ongoing nationwide workers’ struggles against the labour codes, alongside broader resistance to what it termed anti-worker policies of the Union government.