VB-G RAM G Bill aimed at killing rural jobs, workforce, says JMM

Ranchi: Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) accused the BJP-led NDA govt in Centre of trying to rob rural livelihoods across the country by replacing MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

JMM general secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “MGNREGA has been the strong foundation of rural livelihood security in India for the past 20 years. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was MGNREGA which powered the rural economy by giving 100 days guaranteed work to scores of jobless labourers. We had been demanding to increase the number of days of work guaranteed under MGNREGA but Modi govt is out to kill it,” he said.


Stating that the country’s labour force will not let MGNREGA to be killed, Bhattacharya said the new bill had various loopholes. “MGNREGA is a demand-based guarantee. It is mandatory to provide work within 15 days when any worker demands. On the contrary, in VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, state govts can provide work only in those rural areas which the Centre will notify under Section 5(1). This means that if the central govt does not notify a rural area, people there will have no right to work. Thus, this scheme becomes a discretionary scheme running on the central govt's will for BJP’s vote bank,” he said.

The veteran JMM functionary said it will also impose financial burden on states. “MGNREGA’s strength lies in its demand-based financial model, where the central govt's budget allocation is not limited and is based on the actual and total demand for work by rural households across the country. The VB-G RAM G Bill completely changes this arrangement," he said.

BJP, however, supported it stating that the bill will ensure systematic workflow to the rural workforce. “The new bill completely reboots the existing system and is broader to provide jobs across different spectrum,” BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said.