Rahul Gandhi meets Kerala tribal woman who cracked civil service exams
Thiruvammbady : Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday met Sreedhanya Suresh, the first tribal woman from Kerala to clear the All India civil services exams, and was all praise for her.
He met her at the guest house at Sulthan Bathery at Wayanad and had lunch with her.
Addressing an election rally here in Wayanad district, Gandhi said the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNAREGS), the congress's pet project, had helped the 22-year-old woman make it to the civil service as her parents, who are workers, had benefited from the scheme.
Hailing from a poor background in Wayanad, Sreedhanya had bagged the 410th rank in the Civil Services Examination, 2018.
"She is self confident and a woman who confronted adversities," Gandhi said.
Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his criticism against the MNAREGS scheme, the AICC chief said it was the initiative launched by the UPA government that had helped Sreedhanya crack the top examination.
"She said because her parents worked in MNAREGS, she could appear for the civil service examination," Gandhi said, adding that he had lunch with the proud woman.
MNAREGS had created one Sreedhanya and thousands of Sreedhanyas would be created in Kerala and other southern states through the NYAY', theminimum income guarantee scheme proposed by the Congress if voted to power, Gandhi said.
When the civil service exam results were announced recently, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted that "Sreedhanyas hard work & dedication have helped make her dream come true.
I congratulate Sreedhanya and her family and wish her great success in her chosen career." Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in the coming Parliament elections besides his home turf Amethi.
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Min. Priyank Kharge to expresses concern over implementation of VB-G Ram G
Bengaluru: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Priyank Kharge has expressed concern over the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the proposed VB-G Ram G scheme, stating that the MNREGA programme, which has been a lifeline for rural India for nearly two decades, appears to be facing an uncertain future.
Speaking to media, Kharge said that as March 31 draws to a close, there is no clarity on the rollout of the new scheme from April 1. He pointed out that the central government has not yet issued the necessary guidelines for implementing the scheme for rural workers and villages.
He criticised the Centre for its lack of preparedness, stating that there is no clarity on fund allocation, no final parameters for classifying gram panchayats, and key processes such as social audits have not been defined.
Kharge said the situation comes at a critical time, as summer marks a peak period for rural employment demand, when many people depend heavily on wage employment for their livelihood.
He added that reports have emerged of delays in approvals and families not receiving work despite demand.
He further alleged that the Centre’s move to shift from a statutory employment guarantee to a rule-based allocation system is already showing negative consequences.
Kharge also raised concerns over provisions such as a mandatory 60-day halt during agricultural seasons, which he said would further limit employment opportunities for rural workers.
The BJP-led central government had claimed that the new scheme would transform rural India, but in reality it is turning out to be detrimental to people’s livelihoods, he said.
“The crisis in rural India due to the stalling of MNREGA is beginning to unfold. Given the Centre’s past record in handling such situations, there is growing concern over the impact on rural livelihoods,” Kharge said.
