MGNREGA no more a guarantee, new bill has serious flaws: Chidambaram

Congress MP P Chidambaram alleges the new Viksit Bharat bill has 'serious flaws,' asserting MGNREGA is no longer an employment guarantee. He claims Mahatma Gandhi was 'killed a second time' by removing his name from the altered scheme.

'Mahatma Gandhi Killed a Second Time': Chidambaram

Congress MP and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram alleged that the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) bill has serious flaws and asserted that MGNREGA is no longer an employment guarantee scheme, as it cannot be implemented for more than 60 days in a year. Addressing a press conference at Chennai's Satyamurthy Bhavan, P Chidambaram claimed that by removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the bill, he has been "killed for the second time." He also criticised the nomenclature of the legislation, alleging that it is neither proper English nor Indian, but merely Hindi words written in English letters, which even ministers find difficult to understand.

"Mahatma Gandhi has been killed a second time by altering the scheme. It is neither proper English nor Indian, but merely Hindi words written in English letters, which even ministers find difficult to understand... The new scheme will not be implemented nationwide. The Central Government will decide which districts and regions receive work. It states that the scheme cannot be implemented for 60 days a year, without specifying which 60 days. If a district is declared as having 'no work', people cannot even demand employment. The new law contains several serious flaws... This is no longer an employment guarantee scheme. There is no guarantee at all, and the ones who will suffer the most are the poor," said Chidambaram.

'Legal Right to Employment Weakened'

Congress leader Udit Raj also criticised the passage of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G-RAM-G) Bill in Parliament, alleging that the legislation weakens the legal right to employment under MGNREGA and adversely affects rural labourers. "This was the biggest scheme (MNREGA) to eliminate rural unemployment, and initially, it was a legal right. But now it's no longer the case. So now the central government can get work done wherever it wants," Raj told ANI.

He further alleged that labourers would lose their entitlement to demand work. "Now, labourers cannot demand work as a right, and previously, when they didn't get work, they received an allowance. That won't happen anymore," he said.

Bill Passed Amid Opposition Walkout

Earlier, Parliament passed the VB-G-RAM-G Bill, with the Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after the Lok Sabha cleared it. Opposition members staged a walkout from the Upper House, demanding that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill would play an essential role in the welfare of the poor and accused the Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals.

Key Provisions of the New Bill

The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work. As per Section 22, the fund-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40, while for the Northeastern states, the Himalayan states, and the Union Territories, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, it will be 90:10.

Section 6 of the Bill allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating up to 60 days in a financial year, covering peak agricultural seasons such as sowing and harvesting. (ANI)

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