Rahul Gandhi talks of nextgen MGNREGA during 'yatra'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the country gets more urbanised there is a need to evolve a modern social welfare scheme, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said here on Tuesday.

Gandhi, while interacting with MGNREGA workers during the break between the two phases of the day's Bharat Jodo Yatra, said a large part of the population now live in urban areas and therefore, we need to think ''what is the urban MGNREGA idea''.

''As India gets more urbanised, what's the next step for MGNREGA? There is a need to evolve a modern social welfare scheme. Met with MGNREGA workers and listened to their issues. These are the conversations that will lead to a new inclusive vision for India,'' he tweeted after the interaction.

Sharing a video-clip of the discussion he held with the MGNREGA workers, Gandhi said the idea of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was to create a minimum wage in the country below which nobody had to work.

''Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) was the idea that we will create a minimum income in the country. So, the idea was that every poor person will get Rs 6,000 a month, Rs 72,000 a year guaranteed in their bank accounts.

''It was the next evolution of the idea of MGNREGA,'' he said.

He further said while MGNREGA was a very good programme, there was a need to think of the next-generation of MGNREGA as when it started large parts of the population were in villages and now majority of the people live in urban areas.

''So what is the urban MGNREGA idea? These are the types of things we need to think about,'' he said.