Dr. Audil Farooq Mir Leads ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ in Lasjan, Slams Centre Over Dilution of Scheme

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SRINAGAR JAN, 14:-District Congress Committee (DCC) President Srinagar, Dr. Audil Farooq Mir, on Tuesday led a massive public mobilisation under the banners of “MGNREGA Bachao Sangram” and “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” at Panchayat Lasjan, Block Srinagar, asserting that any dilution of the MGNREGA scheme is a direct attack on the dignity and livelihood of workers.

Addressing a large gathering of Congress workers and local residents, Dr. Mir accused the BJP-led Central Government of systematically weakening the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) through delayed wage payments, reduced workdays and shrinking budgetary allocations.
He said these measures were not administrative lapses but a “deliberate attempt” to undermine one of the most empowering welfare legislations introduced by the Congress.

“When wages are delayed and the right to work is weakened, it is not just a governance failure but an assault on dignity, democracy and social justice,” Dr. Mir said, adding that weakening MGNREGA pushes poor and working-class families back into economic distress and uncertainty.

Placing the issue in a broader political context, Dr. Mir linked the fight to protect MGNREGA with the larger demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and democratic rights. He described “Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq” as a non-negotiable constitutional demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, rather than a symbolic slogan.

“Our demand for timely wages, a minimum daily wage of ₹400, full implementation of MGNREGA and restoration of statehood are inseparable. Livelihood security and democracy go hand in hand,” he asserted.

The programme witnessed active participation from Block Congress President Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Working President Er. Waseem Mir, Younis Mir and several senior Congress leaders and workers from Panchayat Lasjan and adjoining areas. Although the PCC observer could not attend due to security restrictions ahead of Republic Day, party leaders said the movement would continue with greater intensity.
Congress workers also distributed awareness material among labourers and rural households, informing them about their legal entitlements under MGNREGA. The outreach exercise reflected growing public discontent over unemployment, delayed wages and shrinking democratic space.
Local civic issues, including shortcomings in the Master Plan, recurring flood threats and disruptions to agricultural activity due to administrative lapses, were also raised during the programme. Dr. Mir demanded immediate corrective measures, warning that continued neglect would further jeopardise livelihoods in Srinagar.

Concluding the event, Congress leaders announced that under Dr. Audil Farooq Mir’s leadership, the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram and Hamari Riyasat, Hamara Haq campaigns would be expanded to every ward, panchayat and mohalla of Srinagar, turning them into sustained grassroots movements for livelihood security, dignity and constitutional rights in Jammu and Kashmir.