Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah lends voice to the UPA scheme MGNREGA which celebrates its 10th anniversary. Abdullah tweeted: "Dr Manmohan Singh is right, history will judge him far more favourably than he has been judged so far. #MNREGA being a case in point. BJP never tired of criticising #MNREGA & are now selling it as if it was their gift to the nation. Thank you Dr Manmohan Singh Sahib."'


The NDA government today claimed it has brought a "transformation" in the rural job guarantee scheme which was in a "pitiable" state under UPA due to frequent curtailing of funds.


Asserting that schemes are "not cast in stone" and their modification is required with the passage of time, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said MGNREGA underwent change under NDA and new initiatives were taken besides increasing the fund allocation to the scheme so that its benefits could reach the people in a better way. "...tranformation has been brought in the implementation of this scheme.


When a government scheme runs for many years, an attitude of indifference develops towards it. A kind of indifference towards it was growing by 2013-14 when the scheme has entered its seventh and eight years.


"When there was a change of government in 2014-15, there was a talk in and outside Parliament on whether the scheme will be discontinued or its fund allocation will be curtailed. But the new government not only took forward the scheme but also increased its fund," Jaitley said, delivering his key note address at MGNREGA Sammelan in New Delhi.