Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday described the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) as a strong foundation for improving the living standards of hardworking labourers.
He said that this scheme is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee to every worker in the country.
It ensures the right to work with dignity, timely wages, social respect, and a secure livelihood, Saini said while addressing the labourers at the state-level conference of the VB-G RAM G held in Panchkula.
Saini said that the PM’s resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047 cannot be achieved without the development of villages and labourers.
He emphasised that the path to a developed India passes through its villages. The VB-G Ram G scheme is not merely an employment programme, but an initiative aimed at uplifting the lives of hardworking people, ensuring dignity of labour, and protecting their self-respect.
Saini further said that keeping in view the ‘shortcomings’ of MGNREGA, PM Modi has presented the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 to the nation.
The VB-G RAM G was passed replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a voice vote amid protests in the Rajya Sabha on December 18, last year, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it.
The chief minister clarified that this is not just a renaming of MGNREGA, but a comprehensive modernisation of the rural employment system.
Saini said that the circumstances were very different when MGNREGA was first launched, but over time several shortcomings crept into the scheme, directly impacting workers.
He said that workers are well aware that in some places machines replaced manual labour, in others payments were made in fake names, and on many occasions, wages were delayed for months.