Opposition asks why Mahatma Gandhi’s name dropped; Govt to bring ‘G RAM G Bill’ to replace MGNREGA
NEW DELHI, Dec 15: The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter session of Parliament.
According to a copy of the Bill, it will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
Within six months from the date of commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act, states will have to make a scheme consistent with the provisions of the new law.
Under this centrally sponsored scheme, the financial liability would be shared between the Centre and the state governments. It would be 90:10 for the Northeastern states and Himalayan states and 60:40 for all other states and Union territories with legislature. For the UTs without legislature, the whole cost would be borne by the Centre.The MGNREGS was a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme.
While MGNREGS was a demand-driven scheme with the Union government bound to allocate more money if demand for work was there, under the proposed scheme, the Centre would determine state-wise normative allocation for each financial year. Any expenditure incurred by a state in excess would be borne by the state government.
The wage rate would be specified by the Central government through a notification. The Bill says it should not be less than the prevailing wage rates under the MGNREGS.
Until a wage rate is notified by the Centre, MGNREGS wage rates will continue to apply in the areas covered by the new Act.
Unemployment allowance would be paid if an applicant is not provided work within 15 days, which will have to be paid by the state government, according to the Bill. The amount should not be less than one-fourth of the notified wage rate for the first 30 days during the financial year and not less than half of the wage rate for the remaining period of the financial year.
The new Act focuses on four major types of works — water security (conservation, irrigation, rejuvenation of water bodies, afforestation, etc); core rural infrastructure (activities like construction and upgradation of rural roads, Panchayat Bhawans, Anganwadi, etc); livelihood-related infrastructure creation (creation of assets to enhance rural likelihood like training centres, rural haats, grain storage, etc); and climate adaptation (activities related to disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation).
The Bill also provides for facilitating adequate availability of agricultural labour during peak agricultural seasons, and says the state shall notify a period covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting, during which works under this Act shall not be undertaken.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years
OPP ATTACKS GOVT
The government came under sharp criticism on Monday over a bill that seeks to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and replace it with a new rural employment law, with opposition MPs asking why the name of the father of the nation is being removed.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.
It seeks to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005 and establish a “rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047”, by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, said the panel made several recommendations, including that for increasing the number of workdays and wages under the MGNREG scheme.
“When they (BJP) came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called it a scheme for digging pits… It was always their intention to end MGNREGS,” Ulaka told PTI Videos.
“I don’t know what problem they have with the name of Bapu, but they wanted to finish it because it was a Congress scheme. I head the Parliamentary panel, and we made so many recommendations — to increase the number of days to 150, to increase the wages… the states have pending dues, West Bengal is not getting funds. They have brought a Bill, but why have they removed the name of Mahatma Gandhi?” he posed.
Asked about the government’s move, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said, “Whenever the name of a scheme is changed, there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery… for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit? Why is it being done?” “Why is Mahatma Gandhi’s name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world; so, removing his name, I really don’t understand what the objective is. What is their intention?” she told reporters in the Parliament House complex. Senior Trinamool Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien termed the government’s move “an insult to Mahatma Gandhi.” “But then, are you surprised! These are the same people who hero-worshipped the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi. They want to insult Mahatma Gandhi and remove him from history,” he said. (PTI)
