Page 3 - Mgnrega

Did MGNREGA act as safety net for casual labour during sowing, harvest?

Civil society groups say the VB-G RAM G Bill could weaken casual labour's bargaining power, as MGNREGA served as a safety net and fall back option when farm wages turned unattractive

PM suffering from 'acronym-itis': Congress after passage of G RAM G Bill

A day after Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA, the Congress on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he is suffering from a "case of acute acronym-itis". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posted on X a cartoon representation on X which read: "All new A.C.R.O.N.Y.M MANTRALAYA - Administrative Commission for Renaming Old Schemes -- New Yet Meaningless". "The PM is suffering from a case of acute acronym-itis," Ramesh said in his post accompanying the cartoon. His dig came a day after the passage of two bills in Parliament with catchy acronyms -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill and the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill. The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday, amid strong protests by the opposition

VB-G RAM G Bill 'anti village', Modi govt destroyed MGNREGA: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Modi government of demolishing 20 years of MGNREGA in a single day, and dubbed the new VB-G RAM G legislation as anti village. Noting that the VB-G RAM G Bill is not a revamp of MGNREGA, Gandhi said in a post on X, Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day. It demolishes the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and turns it into a rationed scheme which is controlled from Delhi. It is anti-state and anti-village by design. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also said that MGNREGA gave the rural worker bargaining power. With real options, exploitation and distress migration fell, wages increased, working conditions improved, all while building and reviving rural infrastructure. That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break, Gandhi alleged. He said by capping work and creating more ways to deny it, the VB-G RAM G Bill weakens the one instrument the rural poor had. We saw what

Oppn sits on overnight protest in Parl against passage of G RAM G bill

Opposition leaders staged a 12-hour overnight protest dharna in Parliament complex on Thursday night, while protesting against the passage of the VB-G RAM G bill that seeks to replace the MGNREGA rural employment programme and said they would take to the streets across the country. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose accused the Union government of bulldozing the VB- G RAM G bill, as opposition MPs sat on a 12-hour dharna in the Parliament complex. The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by Parliament amid opposition's protests, with the Rajya Sabha giving it its nod post midnight. Ghose said the manner in which the Modi government has brought in this completely "anti-poor, anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-rural poor" VBGRG bill, and has done away with the MGNREGA. "This is an insult to India's poor, it is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, it is an insult to Rabindranath Tagore. With just five hours' notice,

Lok Sabha passes VB-G RAM G Bill to replace MGNREGA amid Oppn protests

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA with a new initiative that guarantees rural jobs for 125 days every year amid vociferous protests by the Opposition. Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan responded to the eight-hour discussion on The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, asserting that the Modi government was ensuring that the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi were upheld through various initiatives taken by it. "Congress killed ideals of Bapu, NDA ensured Bapu lives through pucca houses built under the PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ayushman Bharat," Chouhan said listing out government schemes for welfare of the poor. Opposition members trooped to the well of the House raising slogans against the government from dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural jobs initiative and tearing copies of the G RAM G Bill and flinging it towards the chair. The Lok Sabh

MGNREGA work demand dips during peak sowing and harvest time, shows data

MGNREGA data show work demand typically dipped between July and November over the past 10 years before rising from December

Civil society groups plan nationwide protest against scrapping of MGNREGA

Lok Sabha starts debate on VB-G RAM G that replaces MGNREGA, Parl Panel head wants new bill to be send to standing committee for detailed examination

Best of BS Opinion: New rural jobs law will bring significant changes

Today's wrap looks at the new rural jobs law, the push to open civil nuclear power to private investors, a US strategic reset, RBI's views on bank ownership, and a book on American power

Revamping rural employment: New law will bring significant changes

The Bill proposes to increase the number of guaranteed days of employment to 125 per household

Centre planned to modify MGNREGA over repeated complaints: Shivraj Chouhan

Government introduces VB G-RAM-G bill in Parliament to replace MGNREGA amid strong opposition protest

40% cost on states under VB-G RAM G Bill to weaken rural jobs: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi said the proposed VB-G RAM G Bill's 40% cost shift to states would undermine MGNREGA's core principles, weaken rural job security and centralise control over budgets, rules and works

Don't understand obsession with changing names: Priyanka on 'G RaM G' row

Priyanka Gandhi alleged that the VB-G RaM G Bill weakened the right to income guaranteed under MGNREGA and also drew attention to persistent delays in wage payments under the existing scheme

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: India mother of democracy, says Nadda, urges respect for EC on SIR

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

New Bill will weaken MGNREGA: Priyanka slams govt for renaming obsession

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attacked the government over its bill to replace MGNREGA, saying that it stands to "weaken" the original Act's guaranteed 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor. The Congress general secretary also said she does not understand the Modi government's "obsession" with renaming schemes. "Firstly, the process of renaming schemes costs a lot of money to the country, so I don't understand why they are doing it," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex. Second, MGNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor, but the new bill will weaken this right under MGNREGA, she said. The government has added two or three things to the bill that superficially suggest an increase in the number of working days. "But has the wage rate been increased?" She asked. "For so many years, you (government) have been reducing funds for MGNREGA, wherever one goes, labourers will say money has not come," Priyank

MGNREGA overhaul plan: New name, 125 days, and a bigger bill for states | Rural employment

A draft overhaul of MGNREGA proposes a new name, 125 guaranteed workdays, and a new 60:40 funding split that could shift major costs to states.

Centre proposes renaming MGNREGA to VB-G RaM G, to change funding pattern

The Centre has proposed renaming MGNREGA as VB-RaM G, raising guaranteed workdays to 125 and shifting the funding pattern to 60:40, drawing criticism over diluted worker protections

Explained: Why govt wants to replace MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G after 20 years

The draft VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 seeks to replace MNREGA to offer 125 days of rural work, focus on durable assets, improve transparency, and align employment schemes with rural economy and needs

Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, Priyanka questions govt over MGNREGA

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world. A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005. Asked about the government's move, 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 it is being done?" "Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not

MGNREGA to be renamed: A look at the scheme's origin and controversies

The proposed change to rename MGNREGA has triggered political opposition, with the Congress objecting to dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name from one of India's largest rural welfare schemes

Opposition slams plan to rename MGNREGA, says Centre erasing history

Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the move reflected a larger pattern. The Indian government is changing the entire history