BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in the Assembly on Tuesday that many states will be under financial stress when they implement the VB-GRAM-G employment scheme, as the Centre-state share has been reworked to 60:40, after the Central government adopted the recommendation of the 16th Finance Commission to retain vertical share of devolution at 41 per cent to states.
“We had demanded 50 per cent, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had demanded it when he was Gujarat CM. Should not Modi’s stand be the same, whether he is CM or PM?” he questioned. The CM was speaking after introducing a resolution to demand that the Centre repeal VB-GRAM-G and reinstate MGNREGA, in which the Centre-state ratio was 90:10, and against wages, the Centre would fund 100 per cent.
As per Section 5(1) of VB-GRAM-G, the Centre will notify panchayats and specify works to be taken up, which takes away the decision-making powers of panchayats and gram sabhas, he said. The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution ensured that decentralisation of power was destroyed, he alleged. He elaborated on the adverse impact of the new Act, even as BJP defended it, saying it will check corruption. At one stage, the CM appealed to Speaker UT Khader to use Rule 343 and send members out of the House for disturbing his speech. He claimed the new Act will increase unemployment, migration and reduce participation of women labourers.
Siddaramaiah alleged the RSS has a hand in repeal of MGNREGA and removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name. He taunted that BJP members tutored by RSS have been obstructing him from delivering his speech.
“There might be some RSS persons either in the House or gallery, keeping a close watch on you,” he mocked the BJP. MLA Sunil Kumar said the CM’s intelligence wing was feeding him wrong information.
‘Power of gram sabhas will be taken away’
The CM said at a time when Karnataka is not getting grants from the Centre as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission, the new Act that “imposes a 40% burden on the state in the implementation of the scheme through a new law is an attempt to jeopardise the economic security and development of the state.”
Siddaramaiah said through VB-G RAM G, the powers of the gram sabhas have been taken away as they cannot select works according to their needs. “Through MGNREGA , many properties and works, including roads, school walls, toilets, panchayat buildings, horticulture crops, playgrounds, and other essential properties needed for villages were created, helping the poor. But now, the new law has been passed to help corporates and contractors. This is nothing but snatching food from the poor and giving it to the rich,” the CM charged. He also said that while workdays in MGNREGA was 12 months, it has now been slashed to 10 months under VB-G RAM G. “There is uncertainty in wages to be paid to these workers. This is nothing but modern era slavery,” the CM said.
Considering all these serious issues and with the objective of protecting the livelihood rights of rural population, this House urges the Centre to repeal the VB-G RAM G and to continue with MGNREGA in its original form, Siddaramaiah added.