Nabarangpur, Jan, 17: The Congress party staged a protest by observing a fast under the leadership of District Congress President Dr. Lipika Majhi, sitting beneath the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
The protest was held against the decision of the Central Government to dilute the effective MGNREGA Act, which was introduced by the Congress-led UPA government to ensure employment and development in rural areas, and to replace it with a new scheme referred to as the “BGI–Ramji” law. The party alleged that this move would deprive rural labourers of employment opportunities. It was also protested that Mahatma Gandhi’s name has been removed from the scheme.
In protest against these decisions, a nationwide strike has been called. As part of this, the programme was organised in Nabarangpur.
Those who participated in the protest included former MLA Bhujabal Majhi, former district president Muna Tripathy, former PCC Secretary Khemraj Bagh, District Kisan Congress President Sanraj Gand, Harabati Gand, Anam Dian, Tambudas Panaka, Santosh Pattnaik, Prahallad Hial, Bhimsen Panigrahi, Abdul Firoz, Akhil Bhatra, Tofan Sadangi, Wazir Husen, Srikant Mishra, Parshuram Nayak, Yugeshwar Pujari, Ganesh Pattnaik, Brunda Tripathy, Banamali Bhatra, Husna Bano, and several others.