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New Delhi: Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government after it introduced the VB-G RAM G Bill during the ongoing Parliament session. The bill seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.
According to Gandhi, the proposed legislation would place the rural masses of the country in a perilous situation. In her speech, she criticised the Modi government for ignoring the interests of the rural poor over the last 11 years of its rule.
Sonia Gandhi alleged that the ruling dispensation has repeatedly attempted to undermine the interests of rural communities. She pointed out that MGNREGA acted as a crucial safety net for millions during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the government has continued to turn a deaf ear to the needs of the poor.
“Recently, the government has bulldozed MGNREGA by arbitrarily altering its structure without any discussion or consultation,” she said.
The Congress leader further stated that the proposed bill would jeopardise the livelihoods of many who depend on rural employment schemes. “The BJP government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, workers and the landless rural poor by putting this law at risk,” she added.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Friday through a voice vote, amid sustained protests by opposition parties over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme, MGNREGA. The opposition also accused the government of shifting the financial burden onto states. As a mark of protest, opposition leaders staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha and demanded that the bill be referred to a Select Committee.
The newly passed bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, an increase from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
Section 22 of the bill states that the cost-sharing pattern between the Centre and the states will be 60:40. For Northeastern states, Himalayan states and Union Territories—including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir—the ratio 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.
