Overview Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has voiced strong opposition to the proposed changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the ongoing voter verification exercise, termed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) . He alleges a conspiracy to weaken the poor and disenfranchise minorities. In response, he has announced a series of public meetings across nine districts, starting from February 3 , and plans to invite senior Congress leaders to a major rally. Key Developments MGNREGS Controversy Proposed Replacement: The Central Government intends to replace MGNREGS with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) , or VB G-RAM G Bill . Telangana's Opposition: The Telangana Assembly has already passed a unanimous resolution against the proposed changes. Agitation Plans: Statewide agitations are planned, including Gram Sabhas in every village passing resolutions against the new law from January 20 to 30 . Public Meetings: Massive public meetings are scheduled in nine erstwhile districts, starting February 3 . Concerns Regarding Voter Verification (SIR) Allegations: Mr. Reddy alleges that the SIR is being used to delete the voting rights of the poor and minorities. Potential Consequences: He warns that loss of voting rights could lead to denial of welfare benefits such as ration cards and Aadhaar -linked schemes. Political Context Congress Party's Success: The Congress party recently won 66% of the seats in the Sarpanch elections. Upcoming Municipal Polls: Mr. Reddy expressed confidence in a clean sweep in the forthcoming Municipal polls. UPSC Relevance This news article is relevant to the UPSC Civil Services Exam , particularly for GS Paper 2 (Governance, Social Justice) and GS Paper 3 (Economy) . It touches upon important issues such as social welfare schemes, rural employment, poverty alleviation, and democratic participation. The controversy surrounding MGNREGS and the concerns about voter verification are crucial for understanding the challenges faced by marginalized communities and the role of government policies in addressing them. Important Facts MGNREGS: Introduced by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi . Telangana's Role: The Telugu States played a key role in the launch and implementation of MGNREGS . Corporate Conspiracy Allegation: Mr. Reddy alleges a corporate-backed conspiracy to provide cheap labor to big companies through changes to MGNREGS .