VB-GRAMG Act: Jairam Ramesh slams 'unjust' Rs 300 daily wage rate

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh slammed the newly notified VB-GRAMG Act, which replaces MGNREGA. He called the daily wages, largely set at Rs 300, an 'injustice' and demanded the Centre adopt the Anoop Satpathy Committee's recommendation of Rs 375.

Congress Slams 'Unjust' Wages in New Act

As the Centre notified the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 on Wednesday, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh alleged "injustice," demanding a hike in daily wages for workers.

In an X post, the Congress leader flagged that the wages, "largely at Rs 300 per day," were lower than Anoop Satpathy Committee's recommendation of Rs 375 per day. He requested the Centre to adopt the recommendation of the Satpathy Committee. He wrote, "Today, the Modi Government has notified the VB-GRAMG and the daily wage rate due to workers under the scheme. The injustice of the Modi Government's new law aside, the wages due to workers are also unjustifiably low - largely at Rs 300 per day."

"In the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, @INCIndia, as part of its Shramik Nyay campaign, had guaranteed a Rs 400 national daily minimum wage to all workers - including for MGNREGA. The Expert Committee headed by Dr. Anoop Satpathy, set up by the Modi Government, had also recommended a national minimum wage floor at Rs 375 per day, back in 2019. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development under the Chairmanship of @saptagiriulaka has also consistently recommended higher wages for MGNREGA workers," Ramesh added.

He termed the Gazette notification defining wage rates per day for the states as a "snub to India's workers and unwise economic policy." "Given the widespread minimum wage protests in industrial hubs like Noida, and at a time when the stagnation of rural wages is widely recognised as a key constraint on our economic growth, this notification is both a snub to India's workers and unwise economic policy. A just minimum wage for India's workers would adopt Dr. Satpathy's recommendation and accommodate the increase in prices since then," the X post read.

State-wise Wage Rates Notified

According to the Gazette notification, several States and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujrarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim (three Gram Panchayats named Gnathang, Lachung and Lachen have Rs 450 per day), Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal have a wage rate of Rs 300 per day. Haryana has the highest wage rate of Rs 409 per day, followed by Rs 406 in Goa and Rs 401 in Kerala.

VB-GRAMG Act Replaces MGNREGA

The Centre notified the VB-GRAMG Act today, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005. The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act was passed in the Winter Session of Parliament in 2025 and replaces the 100-day employment guarantee with a 125-day guarantee. However, the Opposition has criticised the legislation for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme and bringing in the 60:40 share of funds between the Centre and States. (ANI)

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