National Times Bureau :- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced that a special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha will be convened in the second week of January to oppose the Centre’s decision to alter the MGNREGA scheme. The Chief Minister shared this information through a post on social media platform X.
In his statement, Mann accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to undermine the livelihood of poor and working-class families by replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). He alleged that the move would directly impact rural households that depend on the scheme for employment and income security.
The Chief Minister said the proposed changes reflect what he termed as “arbitrary decision-making” by the Centre, which, according to him, threatens to weaken a crucial welfare programme meant for the poorest sections of society. He asserted that the state government would strongly raise its voice against any policy that adversely affects the interests of labourers and marginalised communities.
Mann added that the special session of the Punjab Assembly is being called to collectively express the sentiments of the people of Punjab and to send a clear message to the Centre against what he described as an attack on the rights of the poor. The session, he said, will serve as a platform to formally register Punjab’s opposition to the proposed changes and to safeguard the interests of rural workers across the state.
