Congress leader Sonia Gandhi (Photo: Screengrab)
NEW DELHI: Congress Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi, reacting to the VB-G RAM G Bill, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the central government of attacking the interests of the poor by “running a bulldozer over MGNREGA”.Sonia Gandhi alleged that the Modi government, over the past 11 years, has “consistently tried to weaken MGNREGA by neglecting the interests of the rural unemployed, the poor and the marginalised, even though the scheme proved to be a lifeline for these sections during the Covid crisis”.
“While the Congress played a major role in bringing MGNREGA into existence and implementing it, the scheme was never about a political party. It was about national interest and public welfare. By weakening this law, the Modi government has attacked the interests of crores of farmers, workers and landless rural poor,” the former Congress chief claimed. The Rajya Sabha MP further said: “The Congress had a major contribution in bringing and implementing MGNREGA. It was a scheme connected to the interest of the country and the people. The Modi government has attacked the interests of the poor through this.” ‘VB-G Ram G’ bill, which awaits the President’s nod, was passed amid fierce protest by the opposition, particularly the INDIA bloc during the Winter Session of the Parliament.On Thursday, rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, speaking in favour of the bill, claimed that the legislation improves substantially on MGNREGA, which was “riddled” by corruption and inefficiency.The opposition was demanding that the bill be sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny and assailed the government for removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural employment guarantee scheme.As Chouhan began his reply after Congress MP KC Venugopal’s demand for sending Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Bill to the committee went unheeded, opposition members trooped into the well, tore its copies and continued their protest till the House passed the bill.The government has repealed the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with another legislation, titled the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G) Bill, 2025.The bill seeks to replace the MGNREGA with a revamped framework aimed at aligning rural employment and development with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.What is VB–G RAM G?The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 represents a major overhaul of MNREGA. Under the proposed law, the government “establishes a modern statutory framework aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047, guaranteeing 125 days of wage employment per rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work,” as per a statement released.ALSO READ | MGNREGA to be replaced with VB–G Ram G: What it is and how it’s different — key FAQs answered Go to Source