IMPHAL, February 3: The Congress led UPA government in the centre had launched several welfare schemes for the people including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGS which has completed 10 years today, said Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
Speaking today at a one day political conference on the successful implementation of the MGNREGS at the Congress Bhawan, the Chief Minister said some of the social upliftment programmes implemented by the UPA are Right to Education, Right to Information, National Rural Health Mission.
He continued, Manipur was conferred the best award in the health sector under the NRHM.
The MGNREGS aims at generating employment giving atleast 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in the rural areas, for which it has received much appreciation, the Chief Minister said.
The scheme which provides employment of 100 days in the rural areas receives 90 percent financial assistance from the Centre, he added.
Meanwhile criticising the Narendra Modi led government in the Centre, the Chief Minister said since the NDA came to power it has been delaying sanction of the fund for the scheme and if the State government fails to release the fund in time, it has to face much brickbats from the public.
Ibobi also said that implementation of the Food Security Act in the State has been delayed by the Centre; however, the State government will certainly implement it by April this year.
He said although the NDA government had assured to sanction fund for development of the Imphal-Jiribam National Highway within 100 days of its coming to power, it is yet to sanction the fund even after two years.
He further appealed to the people to continue supporting the Congress to bring prosperity and development in the State.
MPCC president Gaikhangam who is also the Deputy Chief Minister said that the MNREGS is a baby of the Congress.
He continued, the UPA had implemented several welfare schemes for the people, however, with the NDA coming to power in the Centre many such schemes have been discontinued and many will be soon.
The BJP, he said is anti-people, anti-poor and anti-farmer.
The BJP could only provoke communal disharmony, he said adding that secularism is not in their agenda.
Whenever the BJP has come to power, it has only created confusions and bitter experience for the people, he claimed.
Without the Congress, not just Manipur or the region, but the entire nation will suffer, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also appealed to the people for support for the Congress.
The programme was also attended by Congress ministers, MLAs, members of Zila Parishad, Gram Panchayat, DCC, chairperson and others.