Amid Oppn protests, new Bill on rural jobs introduced in LS

NEW DELHI: The Government pushed ahead with a Bill that seeks to guarantee rural jobs for 125 days every year and replace the 20-year-old MNREGA as it was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the Opposition to the “removal” of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from it.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while introducing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, said the government not only believes in Mahatma Gandhi but also follows his principles. “The (Narendra) Modi govt has done more for rural development than previous governments,” he said.

Opposition members strongly opposed the proposed legislation at the introduction stage and pressed for sending the Bill to a parliamentary panel for greater scrutiny. The MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi of the Congress, strongly objected to the “removal” of Mahatma Gandhi’s name.

Opposing the Bill, T R Baalu of DMK said Mahatma Gandhi lived in villages and worked for the welfare of the poor there. He said then prime minister Manmohan Singh brought the “noble Bill” (MNREGA), which helped the poorest of the poor get 100 days of employment.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra registered her “strong objection” to the draft law, saying MNREGA was a revolutionary Act which was supported by all members of the House when it was passed.

“Under this, the poorest of the poor get 100 days of employment. This (present) Bill is weakening the employment rights of the poor. It is against the Constitution,” she claimed.

The MP from Kerala’s Wayanad said the MGNREG Act has ensured the Centre provides 90 per cent of the funds for the works undertaken under the law.

“It will be reduced to 60 per cent now. This will hit the finances of the state governments, especially those waiting for GST compensation, she pointed out. “Under this Bill, the Centre’s control over the scheme will increase, but its responsibility will come down.”

Responding to certain remarks by some ruling party MPs, she said Mahatma Gandhi was not from her family, but he was from every family in the country. She proposed sending the Bill to a parliamentary panel.

Congress’ Shashi Tharoor asserted that the Bill is not merely an administrative tweak but an “assault on the very spirit and philosophical foundation of this crucial programme”.

The opposition members also trooped into the Well of the House, holding up photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, expressing their disapproval of the “removal” of the name of the Father of the Nation.

According to a copy of the Bill, it will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.

Within six months from the date of commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act, states will have to make a scheme consistent with the provisions of the new law.

The Bill mandates a comprehensive governance ecosystem built on digital public infrastructure, including biometric authentication, spatial-technology-enabled planning and monitoring, mobile-based reporting with real-time dashboards, AI-enabled analytics and strengthened social audit mechanisms, ensuring transparent, efficient and high-integrity implementation.

Several opposition MPs protested in the Parliament House complex over the VB-G RAM G Bill that has become a new flashpoint with the government, as they accused the BJP-led NDA dispensation of “insulting” Mahatma Gandhi by renaming MGNREGA scheme and demanded the withdrawal of the proposed legislation.

The opposition MPs gathered near the steps of the Makar Dwar of Parliament with pictures of Mahatma Gandhi in hand and walked to the statue of the Father of the Nation at Prerna Sthal.

“Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, awakened the soul of the country. He played the biggest role in our country’s freedom struggle... Today, the BJP doesn’t have anything new to do, and that is why they are changing the name,” Samajwadi Party chief and Lok Sabha MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

Speaking with reporters, Priyanka Gandhi also slammed the government for its “obsession with changing the names” of schemes. “This scheme is named after Mahatma Gandhi who is our Father of the Nation,” she pointed out.

“The Bill they have introduced is against millions of labourers in the country, as well as against village assemblies and village panchayats. It should be withdrawn immediately,” she said.

Congress MP Manish Tewari spoke of the “crucial role” the scheme played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav said the Bill is not needed.

SP MP Ramji Lal Suman added, “Nobody is bigger than Mahatma Gandhi. They are the children of Godse, they (centre) should rename it to ‘Godse’ only,”

TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee also questioned the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name. “When I first came here after becoming an MP, it was called NREGA. Later, during Manmohan Singh’s time, it was changed to MGNREGA in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi,” Banerjee said.

“Why was Gandhi ji’s name removed? Having Mahatma Gandhi’s name everywhere feels good to all of us. The entire world recognises Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.

TMC’s Mahua Moitra said her party opposes the Bill. “How much lower will this government stoop? This will lead to an all-India, anti-government agitation because you are disrespecting the Father of the Nation,” she said.