Government busy selling airports, should allocate more funds to schemes like MNREGA: Saugata Roy

Hitting out at Centre, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Friday said that the central government is busy selling airports and demanded that it should allocate more funds to schemes like MNREGA.

"Demand-side interventions are required. Government should allocate more funds to schemes like MNREGA. There are formulas available to revive the economy but government is busy selling airports. Finance Minister should show us way out of this dark tunnel," Roy said in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier today, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday said in Lok Sabha that BJP, which had criticised the rural livelihood scheme MGNREGA, is now forced to laud it.

"The government has sought an additional Rs 40,000 crores for MGNREGA. You people (BJP members) used to say - 'MGNREGA marega'. It will not die but save people. Now even you are forced to laud it. There is a legal boundation that you have to give money to MGNREGA," Chowdhury said taking part in the debate on the supplementary demands for grants (first batch) for 2020-21.

Last month, the Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to lease out Thiruvananthapuram and two other airports through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for "operation, management and development" to Ad Enterprises Ltd, who was declared as the successful bidder in global competitive bidding conducted by the Airports Authority of India, for a period of 50 years.

( With inputs from ANI )