Centre To Replace MGNREGA With G Ram G, Congress Asks "Problem With Bapu?"

Setting the stage for a political face-off during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the Centre has introduced a Bill that will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA). The new Bill is called The Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Grameen), shortened as VB G RAM G. A whip has been issued, and BJP MPs have been asked to attend Parliament to ensure the passage of the Bill. According to the government, the new Bill presents a new framework aimed at fulfilling the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

The MGNREGA scheme, launched by the then UPA government in 2005, guarantees 100 days of work in rural areas and has been a game-changer over the past two decades. The new Bill proposes to raise the 100-day guarantee to 125. It also proposes that payments are made within a week or 15 days after the work is completed. If the payments are not made within the deadline, there is also a provision for an unemployment allowance.

The new Bill proposes that work under the scheme will be divided into four categories -- water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and disaster resilience. Such work won't be carried out during the peak agricultural season when residents of rural areas are busy. To ensure transparency, biometrics and geotagging would be used. There is also the provision of grievance redressal at various levels.

There is another key difference. The MGNREGA is a centrally sponsored scheme in which the Centre bears 100 per cent of the wages of unskilled labour. State governments bear a small portion of the expenses in hiring skilled labour and arranging materials.

Under G Ram G scheme, the Centre and most states will share the expenses in a 60:40 ratio. This ratio will be 90:10 for northeastern and Himalayan states and 100 per cent for Union territories. Out of the proposed expenditure of Rs 1.51 lakh crore annually, the Centre would fund Rs 95,692 crore.

Senior Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the objective behind changing the name of the rural job guarantee scheme. "Why are they removing Mahatma Gandhi's name? He is considered the biggest Indian leader. Whenever such a name changes, a lot of expenditure happens in stationery and paperwork," she said. "I don't understand what the objective is. The Parliament is not functioning. We are not discussing pressing issues; time and public money are being wasted," she said.

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan said the BJP earlier had a problem with Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. "Now the country is watching that they have a problem with Bapu. You ensure timely payments to states under MGNREGA. You raise 100 to 150 days, and improve the scheme. It is a shame that the government is focused on just changing names," she told NDTV.