BENGALURU: Politically, Karnataka remains deeply polarised over the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission -- Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, which officially replaces the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act -- MGNREGA.
Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge said it goes far beyond a mere renaming of the scheme. “MGNREGA has not just been renamed, but the framework built around the right to livelihoods has been repealed,” he said. He stressed that the changes would render the programme unsustainable and undermine the core concept of a rights-based rural employment guarantee.
Under the new act, the Centre holds most powers, while states bear the majority of financial and implementation burden, reducing a legal right to employment into a centrally sponsored scheme. He said it erodes fiscal federalism by imposing greater costs on states amid declining tax devolution from 34% to 31%, below the Finance Commission’s recommended 42%, he said.
Additionally, he warned that centralised decision-making dilutes local planning and weakens the 73rd Constitutional Amendment empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions. Questioning the government’s claim of “reform,” he asked, “How is this a reform when it does not strengthen the scheme for those who depend on it the most?”
Industries Minister MB Patil described MGNREGA as a landmark scheme that generated local employment and promoted village development. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said it reflects ideological opposition to Mahatma Gandhi, and added that RSS and BJP “dislike Mahatma Gandhi”.
BJP former General Secretary and MLC CT Ravi, however, hailed it as a transformative milestone in rural employment policy. “The new Act increases the guaranteed employment from 100 days to 125 days. This will provide further assistance to rural workers and benefit agriculture,” he said.
MODI WILL PAY PRICE FOR JUNKING MNREGA: SACHIN PILOT
BENGALURU: AICC general secretary Sachin Pilot on Monday issued an indirect warning that the NDA government would pay a heavy price for replacing the employment guarantee scheme MNREGA with VB-G Ram G. The people are fed up with the NDA government for the past 11 years. They are now looking at the Congress and the opposition parties as their next choice, said Pilot. “The Congress Working Committee (CWC) which is meeting on Dec.27 will deliberate on taking forward the party’s fight against the government,” he said while addressing a joint press conference at the KPCC office.
“The false promises and allegations of the last 11 years (by the Modi government) have been exposed before the people. Rahul Gandhi is demonstrating his bold leadership inside and outside of Parliament, and we are all committed to building the party strong again,” he said. He said the Centre had to wait for the conclusion of Bihar assembly polls to junk MNREGA since it knew that the predominantly rural populace heavily depended on the employment guarantee scheme. Pilot attacked that the Modi government had been doing vendetta politics since it came to power in 2014.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the decision to replace MNREGA was a shock to the panchayat raj system. “I never thought the BJP would have the audacity to touch a Constitutional right given by the Congress government. This is the beginning of the BJP’s final days,” he said. He said RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge has called for a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
