Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has strongly criticized the Central Government’s decision to replace MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin) scheme. He called it a direct attack on the livelihoods of the poor, stating that the BJP government is not only removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name but also undermining the core spirit of the scheme. Mann announced that the Punjab government will convene a special session of the Assembly in the second week of January to raise the voice of Punjabis on this issue.
The Lok Sabha passed the VB-G RAM G bill after nearly 14 hours of debate. Under the new law, rural families are guaranteed 125 days of employment per year instead of 100. However, opposition leaders allege that the changes are mostly on paper. The funding model has shifted from 100% central funding to a 60:40 center-state contribution, creating potential financial challenges for states like Punjab. Additional provisions, including “normative funding,” a mandatory 60-day “no work period,” and restricted employment areas, have raised concerns that the rights-based scheme could become discretionary.
Protests have erupted across Punjab, with farm labor unions and other organizations burning effigies of the central government. Opposition parties and leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, and MK Stalin, criticized the bill, warning that it weakens rural employment and threatens the legacy of MGNREGA. The Punjab government has declared it will fight for the rights of rural workers, emphasizing that ensuring timely wages and employment guarantees is more important than changing the scheme’s name.
