Ranchi, Feb. 20 -- The Jharkhand government on Friday defended its welfare initiatives and criticised the Centre over changes in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), as the Chief Minister Hemant Soren replied to the debate on the Governor's Address in the Assembly .
The Chief Minister said over one crore people are registered under MGNREGA in the state, with more than 40 lakh active workers, and alleged that structural changes and pending dues from the Centre have affected rural livelihoods. He said the state has supplemented wages from its own resources.
Highlighting social security measures, he claimed Jharkhand has universalised pension coverage and is supporting more than 25 lakh beneficiaries under st...