Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G) Bill, with Rajya Sabha approving the legislation after it got the nod of the Lok Sabha.
Opposition members staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha before the bill, which seeks to replace MGNREGA, was passed. They pressed that the bill should be sent to a Select Committee.
‘Bill will play an important role’
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the bill will play an important role in the welfare of the poor. He accused Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals.
Participating in the debate, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said the party will restore the MGNREGA legislation when it comes to power.
Congress: ‘MNREGA will be restored in its original form’
“The day we return to power, Gandhi’s name will be there, and MNREGA will be restored in its original form. That is our promise. We will bring back Gandhi’s name. We will put an end to your Godse-like tendencies,” he said, targeting the BJP.
Kharge takes jibe at BJP govt
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took several jibes at the BJP government and said that the time will come when they will take back the legislation.
“A person, a minister, who shows compassion towards the poor, is now ending the MNREGA. There is some compulsion which you are not telling others… In the coming days, a time will come when you will take back this law just like the three farm laws. Do you want an agitation where people block roads, protest, sustain bullet injuries, and die? Only then will you take back the law? People will come out on the streets, face bullets, but never support this law. We will continue fighting… ‘Gareeb logon ko jo ye sapna dikha rahe hain, wo kabhi poora nahi hoga’,” he said.
‘Govt’s ideology is completely contrary to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea’
Congress MP Digvijaya Singh said he doesn’t understand the justification for changing the name of the MGNEGA. “I did not understand the justification given for changing the name of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, but if you try to understand it, the ideology behind it becomes clear. This ideology is completely contrary to Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Gram Swaraj,” he said.
The discussion in the Rajya Sabha went beyond midnight.
Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment
The Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment per rural household, up from the existing 100 days, for adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
As per Section 22 of the Bill, the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State Governments will be 60:40, while for the North Eastern States, Himalayan States, and Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), it will be 90:10.
Section 6 of the Bill allows the state governments to notify in advance, a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting.
Congress announces a series of nationwide protests
Opposing the Bill, Congress announced a series of nationwide protests on December 17, accusing the BJP and RSS of attempting to “dismantle rights-based welfare”.
Lok Sabha had passed the bill on Thursday amid protest and sloganeering by opposition members.
