New VB-G RAM G Act faces opposition for weakening MGNREGA: Kharge

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge announced a nationwide collective effort to repeal the new VB-G RAM G Act. He asserts the legislation weakens MGNREGA and harms social justice, vowing legal challenges and on-ground campaigns to oppose it.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday said that a nationwide collective effort would be launched against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, asserting that the legislation weakens the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and strikes at the foundation of social justice.

Kharge leads roundtable against new employment law

"Dept of RDPR led an important roundtable in Delhi with over 80 participants from across the country, including civil rights groups, economists, professors, sociologists, lawyers, former judges, NGOs, and MGNREGA workers," Kharge posted on X.

"We came together to respond to the VB-GRAM G Bill and its impact on rural livelihoods," he added.

Kharge underlined the significance of MGNREGA, stating, "MGNREGA was a guarantee that gave rural families confidence, dignity and stability. Weakening it strikes at the very foundation of social justice."

Multi-pronged strategy announced

Outlining the course of action decided at the roundtable, he said, "At the roundtable, we agreed on immediate action. We will focus on clearly explaining the law on the ground, breaking down what has changed and dispelling the misleading claims being pushed by the Central government."

He further said, "We will also take this battle forward legally, examining constitutional violations and preparing challenges in court. We will work on all fronts, from villages to the corridors of justice."

"This will be collective, determined and uncompromising. The objective is clear. This Bill must be repealed. There is no other outcome," Kharge added.

MGNREGA being diluted: KMSC

Meanwhile, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Satnam Singh Pannu on Tuesday alleged that MGNREGA is being diluted and diverted from its original objective of ensuring livelihood security for rural and working-class families.

"Across the country, around 26 crore job cards have been issued under the scheme, with nearly 12 crore beneficiaries receiving employment. In Punjab alone, approximately 20 lakh job cards have been issued, and about 11 lakh workers have been getting work under MGNREGA," Pannu said.

"However, it is being alleged that the Central Government has fundamentally altered the structure of MGNREGA and introduced it in a new form, thereby undermining its original objectives," he added.

Pannu further claimed that "the Central Government has taken away the powers of Gram Sabhas and Panchayats, which earlier decided development works in villages."

Details of the VB-G RAM G Act

Earlier, the Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill on December 18, and it received the President's assent on December 21.

The law 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 of the law, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir it will be 90:10.

Section 6 of the law allows state governments to notify in advance a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting.

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