New Delhi: The Centre has introduced a Bill in Parliament to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme (MGNREGA), triggering sharp political reactions during the ongoing Winter Session.
The proposed law, titled The Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Grameen) or VB G RAM G Scheme, is being pitched as part of the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. A whip has been issued to BJP MPs to ensure its passage.
MGNREGA, launched in 2005, guarantees 100 days of employment to rural households. The new Bill proposes increasing this to 125 days, with wages to be paid within seven to 15 days of work completion, failing which an unemployment allowance would be provided.
Work under the scheme will be classified into water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and disaster resilience, and will not be undertaken during peak agricultural seasons. The Bill also mandates biometric authentication, geotagging and a grievance redressal mechanism.
A key change is the funding pattern. While MGNREGA is centrally funded for unskilled wages, the new scheme proposes a 60:40 Centre-state cost sharing, with special ratios for northeastern and Himalayan states and Union territories.
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