Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy spoke out strongly against changes to the MGNREGA scheme during the Congress Working Committee meeting in New Delhi. He recalled that MGNREGA holds a special place for the people of the former Andhra Pradesh, as it was launched there by former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2006. "The scheme symbolised the dignity of labour and provided employment assurance to the poorest sections in rural India," he said. Revanth Reddy warned that recent policy changes will increase the financial burden on State governments. He criticised the Centre for trying to evade its responsibility towards this flagship social security programme. The MGNREGA, started as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, was launched in Bandlapalli village of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. The Chief Minister returned to Hyderabad late on Friday night after attending the meeting.