BENGALURU: Labour organisations, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers and rights activists on Thursday raised concerns over the proposed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G Act), 2025, stating that it could dilute the rights-based and demand-driven framework of the MGNREGA.
Even when the 2025 Act has proposed 125 days of employment per rural household, the NREGA workers, trade union representatives, legal experts and academics, described the proposed legislation as a “grave attack” on the 2005 Act that already guarantees up to 100 days of employment. They expressed fears about the proposed law which centralises control and weakens Gram Sabhas in the process, undermining federal principles.
With the revised funding pattern States are required to contribute 40% of wage and material costs. The activists claimed that it will inevitably lead to delayed payments and fewer days of work, considering the existing fiscal constraints faced by states. Speakers alerted that restricting work to selected Panchayats, or capping employment through state-wise allocations, would disproportionately affect women and landless workers.
The allowance of contractors through “convergence”, the diversion of works towards large infrastructure projects under PM Gati Shakti, and the mandatory use of biometric and digital systems were flagged as risks for exclusion and corruption. The Panel highlighted that MGNREGA was a statutory guarantee with social audits as safeguards.