BENGALURU: Under the banner of MGNREGA Rakshana Okkoota (MGNREGA Protection Federation) - Karnataka, a coalition farmers, rural workers, Dalits and members of civil society organisations on Monday opposed the Union government’s Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), alleging that it dismantles the core principles of MGNREGA. The federation organised a workers’ mahapanchayat at Freedom Park here.
The coalition said MGNREGA, which was enacted in 2005, served as a crucial livelihood safety net for rural workers and small farmers for nearly two decades, guaranteeing them work locally. The new Act, it alleged, replaces this universal, rights-based framework with a discretionary and budget-driven model.
Under the new Act, decisions on the nature of works and execution will be guided by central agencies, undermining the authority of gram sabhas and panchayats guaranteed under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, the coalition said. The struggle will continue till MGNREGA is reintroduced, it added.
The federation has written to the President and the PM, urging them to bring back MGNREGA.