Shimla, Dec. 23 -- Former CM and leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has hit out at Congress alleging that Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government is playing politics in the name of MNREGA. Thakur in a statement issued on Monday said, "The central government has provided an effective, transparent, and future-oriented scheme like the Viksit Bharat-G-RAM-G for the benefit of the poor, rural, and working class. This scheme is not limited to wages alone, but is a concrete step towards sustainable livelihoods, skill development, and the creation of self-reliant villages, ensuring timely payments, technology-based monitoring, and strict control over corruption-something that was never possible under Congress rule". He said, "The people of the country have understood that this opposition is not based on policy, but on a flawed mindset". Commenting on the protest, Thakur said, "Sukhu government's actions are merely a political stunt. Their seriousness regarding MGNREGA can be gauged from the fact that since August, the state government has not paid the state's share of wages to those who have worked under MGNREGA. People have only received the funds provided by the central government". Thakur said, "When the scheme was launched in 2006, its total budget was only Rs 11,300 crore. The Congress government managed to increase it to Rs 33,000 crore in 10 years. The Modi government, in its very first budget of 2015-16, increased the MGNREGA budget to Rs 41,000 crore. During the pandemic, the MNREGA budget was further increased to Rs 1,10,000 crore"....