Bandlapalle (Andhra Pradesh) [India], February 2 : While commemorating 20 years of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, YS Sharmila Reddy, launched Upaadi Haami Parirakshana Yatra, a state-wide outreach initiative that will traverse Andhra Pradesh over the coming weeks on Monday.
The initiative was launched during the Rachabanda programme, led by YS Sharmila Reddy in Bandlapalle village, the historic site where MNREGA was launched on February 2nd, 2006.
According to an official press statement, the yatra seeks to mobilise rural communities, MNREGA workers, and job card holders to defend the employment guarantee programme that has ensured livelihood security for crores of families and remains a cornerstone of rural welfare.
During the event, Sharmila Reddy addressed the villagers and MNREGA workers, where she highlighted how Upaadi Haami, as MNREGA is popularly known in Andhra Pradesh, empowered rural households by guaranteeing dignified work and timely wages.
The Andhra Pradesh Congress Chief also warned that the recent policy changes threaten to weaken this hard-won right, as mentioned in the statement.
The statement noted that Sharmila Reddy expressed grave concern about what they described as deliberate attempts by the Modi government to dilute MNREGA through the introduction of the VB Gram G initiative.
Speaking at the event, Y S Sharmila Reddy said, "MNREGA was born in Bandlapalle as a promise to the rural poor. Diluting a guaranteed right and replacing it with uncertain schemes is an attack on the livelihoods of millions."
"Through this yatra, we will take the voice of Upaadi Haami workers to every corner of Andhra Pradesh", she added.
The event concluded with strong public participation and a call to collectively safeguard MNREGA from dilution and neglect.