MGNREGA Changes: Sonia Gandhi Alleges "Demolition" of Rural Job Guarantee Scheme

Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Sonia Gandhi, has launched a strong critique against the Centres proposed overhaul of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In an opinion piece, she labelled the changes a "bulldozed demolition" of India’s vital rural social security law.

Gandhi asserts that MGNREGA was designed as a constitutional right to work, born from public consultation and parliamentary consensus, rather than merely a welfare scheme.

She contends that the Centre’s new VB-G RAM-G law dismantles these foundational principles by replacing a demand-driven, rights-based programme with a centrally controlled, budget-capped framework. This shift, according to Gandhi, significantly weakens employment security for numerous rural households.

She further highlights the systematic dismantling of key features such as uncapped funding, year-long work availability, and strong decentralisation via Gram Sabhas. Gandhi also raised concerns regarding the financial burden being shifted to state governments, which could deter them from providing work.

She argues that such centralisation undermines local self-governance and forms part of a wider erosion of constitutional rights, potentially leading to severe consequences for rural livelihoods, wages, and social protection across India.