RANCHI: The Jharkhand Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution opposing the Centre’s proposed plan to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the ‘Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural), 2025’ (VBG-RAM-G). The resolution will be sent to the Central Government for consideration.
The motion was moved by Deepika Pandey Singh, who argued that the proposed legislation is neither suitable for Jharkhand nor aligned with the state’s specific rural needs. Acting on her proposal, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto put the motion to a vote just before taking up private members’ resolutions, and it was passed by voice vote.
Singh stated that the UPA-1 government, led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, enacted MGNREGA in 2005. For Jharkhand, the scheme serves as a lifeline for rural families.
“The scheme has played a historic role in poverty reduction, curbing rural-to-urban migration and empowering women. However, the recently proposed ‘Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission Act, 2025’ (VBG-RAM-G) raises apprehensions regarding potential infringement on the rights of the rural poor due to its provisions,” Singh said, adding that the new Act eliminates the guarantee of the ‘right to demand work.’
The minister also noted that, under MGNREGA, the Central Government bears the entire cost of unskilled wages. She argued that shifting the financial sharing ratio between the Centre and the State to 60:40, as proposed in the new Act, undermines the federal structure and would impose an unbearable burden on a resource-constrained state like Jharkhand. Singh asserted that the Centre should continue funding the scheme on the existing terms.
Singh further highlighted that VBG-RAM-G threatens the powers and autonomy of Gram Sabhas (Village Assemblies). Under the 2005 Act, Gram Panchayats, Gram Sabhas, PESA bodies and Scheduled Areas had the freedom to select from a list of 266 permissible works, such as water conservation and land development, based on local needs.
“However, the new provisions raise concerns regarding digital barriers and technological hurdles,” the minister said. She warned that these complexities could delay wage payments, making VBG-RAM-G unsuitable for the people.
The minister proposed that the existing MGNREGA framework, demand-driven, rights-based and fully centrally sponsored, must be preserved. She urged that the provisions of the original 2005 Act remain unaltered to safeguard the interests of millions of job card-holding families in Jharkhand.
“Furthermore, the guarantee of 100 days of employment under MGNREGA should be extended to 150 days to curb migration by providing villagers with employment for a longer duration within their own communities,” Singh said.
She emphasised that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme undermines the philosophy of uplifting the most marginalised, and the programme should continue to be named the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.