HYDERABAD: Former minister and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao has strongly criticised the Central government for drastically reducing the number of workdays sanctioned to Telangana under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for 2024–25.
Speaking to reporters, Rao said it was regrettable that the Union government had approved only 6.5 crore workdays for the state this year, down from 12.22 crore in the previous financial year. He alleged that despite Chief Minister Revanth Reddy making 42 visits to Delhi, the state had failed to secure any significant outcome.
Rao also took aim at both the Congress and the BJP, pointing out that each party has eight MPs from Telangana but none had raised their voice against the injustice meted out to the state. He termed their silence on the matter “deplorable”.
The BRS leader further alleged that wages under the employment guarantee scheme had not been paid for four months, pushing labourers into distress. “This is nothing short of playing with the lives of the poor,” he said, accusing both the Union and state governments of deliberately weakening the scheme.
Demanding immediate action, Rao urged the Central government to restore the number of NREGA workdays to the previous level and called upon the state government to clear the pending wages without delay.
The Centre Govt has slashed MGNREGS workdays for Telangana by half, from 12.22 crore workdays in 2024-25 to just 6.5 crore this year.
Despite 42 trips to Delhi by CM @revanth_anumula , Telangana’s MGNREGS workdays were slashed by half.
It raises questions about the… pic.twitter.com/2ZIrsUGzmm
— Harish Rao Thanneeru (@BRSHarish) May 3, 2025
