By: Express News ServiceLudhiana | January 17, 2026 12:23 PM IST 3 min readLudhiana MP Raja Warring leads DISHA meet opposing MGNREGA replacement and Centre State wage cost sharing proposal. (File)The District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) of Ludhiana on Friday passed a unanimous resolution opposing the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB–G RAM G] Act, terming it anti-poor and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and demanded its immediate withdrawal.The meeting was led by Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The committee expressed serious concern over the replacement of the MGNREGA, particularly the proposed shift from 100 per cent central funding of wages to a 60:40 Centre–State cost-sharing formula, stating that Punjab’s weak fiscal position makes such a model unviable.Highlighting Punjab’s financial stress, the resolution noted that the state’s public debt is projected to touch Rs 4.17 lakh crore by March 2026, amounting to over 46 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product, leaving little fiscal space to absorb additional welfare liabilities.It cautioned that provisions under the new scheme, including Aadhaar-linked payments and seasonal pauses in employment, could lead to exclusion of vulnerable households, distress migration and erosion of rural consumption. Special concern was expressed over Ludhiana district, where only one per cent of households receiving work under MGNREGA were able to complete the full 100 days of employment.Speaking to the media, Warring said that the Aam Aadmi Party government (AAP) in Punjab had failed in implementing MGNREGA.Warring also sought a probe into the spending on the cleaning of the Buddha Nullah. “Crores have been spent on cleaning Buddha Nullah but no change can be seen on the ground. We can smell a huge scam here. We will be demanding an inquiry into this. We will also raise it in Parliament and Smart City project meetings,” said Warring.Taking a dig at Punjab’s former finance minister and BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal, Warring said, “This man (Manpreet Badal) remained in power for 14 years, and of those 14, he was the finance minister for eight years. In those 8 years, he brought catastrophe for Punjab when it comes to finances. Today we are under huge debts. The difference between Warring and Manpreet Badal is that I might be less educated than him, but I at least did not take away the dining table and other furniture from government accommodation and later claimed that it was by mistake”.Story continues below this adThe controversy surrounding Manpreet Badal and a “missing” dining table emerged in April 2022 after he vacated his official government bungalow following the Congress party’s electoral defeat in Punjab.The Punjab Public Works Department (PWD) reported that several items were missing from the House, including a dining table, recliner sofa etc.Manpreet had recently mocked Warring for “not knowing basic mathematics calculations” after a video of the Congress leader while speaking at a rally, and saying 12 multiplied by 5 was 48, had gone viral.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd