App mandate to slash MGNREGS budget: Cong

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Centre’s move to mandate MGNREGS workers to register their attendance through a mobile application is aimed at reducing the budget for the flagship scheme providing employment to the poor, and claimed this is a proof of the Modi government’s “insensitivity” towards the disadvantaged. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the the Ministry of Rural Development has mandated that every MGNREGS worker at 9 crore worksites register attendance via an app, replacing physical muster rolls. “This move, apparently to increase transparency, will have the exact opposite effect. It will introduce new avenues for corruption,” he said.