‘Modi govt demolished 20 years of MGNREGA in one day’: Rahul Gandhi on VB-G RAM G Bill
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G: Rahul Gandhi said it was evident what MGNREGA meant to the people, especially during the trying times amid the COVID outbreak.
- Dec 19, 2025,
- Updated Dec 19, 2025 12:03 PM IST
As the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, hours after it was passed in the Lok Sabha, it will now replace the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This comes amid vociferous protests by the opposition that took umbrage over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name in the bill, among other things.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day.”
Gandhi said the VB-G RAM G bill is not a revamp of MGNREGA but a demolition of a “rights-based, demand-driven guarantee”. It has been turned into a scheme to be controlled by the central government, he argued.
“It is anti-state and anti-village by design. MGNREGA gave the rural worker bargaining power. With real options, exploitation and distress migration fell, wages increased, working conditions improved, all while building and reviving rural infrastructure. That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break. By capping work and building in more ways to deny it, VB-G RAM G weakens the one instrument which the rural poor had,” he said.
Gandhi said it was evident what MGNREGA meant to the people, especially during the trying times amid the COVID outbreak. It kept crores of people from falling into hunger and debt at a time when the economy had shut down and livelihoods had collapsed.
“And it helped women the most - year after year, women have contributed more than half the person-days. When you ration a jobs programme, it is women, Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers and the poorest OBC communities who get pushed out first,” he said, adding that the VB-G RAM G Bill was rushed through the Parliament without proper scrutiny. The Opposition’s demand to send the bill to a standing committee was rejected.
Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “weakening” labour and the leverage of rural India, “especially Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis”, centralising power and selling slogans as ‘reforms’.
He called MGNREGA one of the “most successful poverty alleviation and empowerment programmes in the world” and vowed to defend it.
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the VB-G RAM G Bill represent two frameworks for rural employment in India, with significant differences in structure, funding, and operations.
The most notable contrast is in the duration of wage employment: MGNREGA guarantees 100 days, while the VB-G RAM G Bill proposes 125 days for rural households.
Funding responsibilities diverge as well, with the VB-G RAM G Bill assigning a greater share of expenditure to state governments compared to MGNREGA's centralised model.
The new framework also incorporates digital monitoring and a more targeted approach for development planning at the panchayat level.
Under MGNREGA, employment can be demanded by eligible rural households throughout the year, ensuring continuous access to wage labour. In contrast, the VB-G RAM G Bill restricts the period during which work can be sought, limiting it to non-peak agricultural periods as notified by the state, typically avoiding sowing and harvesting seasons.
Funding models differ too. MGNREGA is demand-driven, with the central government responsible for all wage payments and sharing material costs with states in a 75:25 ratio. The VB-G RAM G Bill, however, operates on normative allocations to states. Expenditure beyond this allocation must be borne by the state, and the financial liability is split: 90:10 between Centre and northeastern or Himalayan states, 60:40 for other states and UTs with legislatures, and the Centre covers all costs for UTs without legislatures.
Work types under MGNREGA include broad categories such as water conservation, drought-proofing, irrigation, renovation of traditional water bodies, land development, and flood control. The VB-G RAM G Bill narrows its focus to four domains: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and works to mitigate extreme weather events.
Planning and implementation mechanisms also vary. MGNREGA assigns the gram panchayat responsibility for identifying and ratifying projects via gram sabha or ward sabha assemblies, with at least 50 per cent of works implemented through gram panchayats. For the VB-G RAM G Bill, work must originate from Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, aligning with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, integrating local plans with broader infrastructure strategies.
There is no categorisation of panchayats under MGNREGA. The VB-G RAM G Bill, however, requires each panchayat to create plans based on its classification into categories A, B, or C, determined by development parameters, allowing for differentiated strategies according to local needs.
The VB-G RAM G Bill introduces a digital ecosystem for scheme management, including biometric authentication, GPS or mobile-based worksite monitoring, public disclosures, and artificial intelligence for planning, audits, and fraud risk mitigation. These measures aim to modernise scheme governance and accountability, which are not present in the current MGNREGA framework.
As the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha, hours after it was passed in the Lok Sabha, it will now replace the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This comes amid vociferous protests by the opposition that took umbrage over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name in the bill, among other things.
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day.”
Gandhi said the VB-G RAM G bill is not a revamp of MGNREGA but a demolition of a “rights-based, demand-driven guarantee”. It has been turned into a scheme to be controlled by the central government, he argued.
“It is anti-state and anti-village by design. MGNREGA gave the rural worker bargaining power. With real options, exploitation and distress migration fell, wages increased, working conditions improved, all while building and reviving rural infrastructure. That leverage is precisely what this government wants to break. By capping work and building in more ways to deny it, VB-G RAM G weakens the one instrument which the rural poor had,” he said.
Gandhi said it was evident what MGNREGA meant to the people, especially during the trying times amid the COVID outbreak. It kept crores of people from falling into hunger and debt at a time when the economy had shut down and livelihoods had collapsed.
“And it helped women the most - year after year, women have contributed more than half the person-days. When you ration a jobs programme, it is women, Dalits, Adivasis, landless workers and the poorest OBC communities who get pushed out first,” he said, adding that the VB-G RAM G Bill was rushed through the Parliament without proper scrutiny. The Opposition’s demand to send the bill to a standing committee was rejected.
Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “weakening” labour and the leverage of rural India, “especially Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis”, centralising power and selling slogans as ‘reforms’.
He called MGNREGA one of the “most successful poverty alleviation and empowerment programmes in the world” and vowed to defend it.
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the VB-G RAM G Bill represent two frameworks for rural employment in India, with significant differences in structure, funding, and operations.
The most notable contrast is in the duration of wage employment: MGNREGA guarantees 100 days, while the VB-G RAM G Bill proposes 125 days for rural households.
Funding responsibilities diverge as well, with the VB-G RAM G Bill assigning a greater share of expenditure to state governments compared to MGNREGA's centralised model.
The new framework also incorporates digital monitoring and a more targeted approach for development planning at the panchayat level.
Under MGNREGA, employment can be demanded by eligible rural households throughout the year, ensuring continuous access to wage labour. In contrast, the VB-G RAM G Bill restricts the period during which work can be sought, limiting it to non-peak agricultural periods as notified by the state, typically avoiding sowing and harvesting seasons.
Funding models differ too. MGNREGA is demand-driven, with the central government responsible for all wage payments and sharing material costs with states in a 75:25 ratio. The VB-G RAM G Bill, however, operates on normative allocations to states. Expenditure beyond this allocation must be borne by the state, and the financial liability is split: 90:10 between Centre and northeastern or Himalayan states, 60:40 for other states and UTs with legislatures, and the Centre covers all costs for UTs without legislatures.
Work types under MGNREGA include broad categories such as water conservation, drought-proofing, irrigation, renovation of traditional water bodies, land development, and flood control. The VB-G RAM G Bill narrows its focus to four domains: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and works to mitigate extreme weather events.
Planning and implementation mechanisms also vary. MGNREGA assigns the gram panchayat responsibility for identifying and ratifying projects via gram sabha or ward sabha assemblies, with at least 50 per cent of works implemented through gram panchayats. For the VB-G RAM G Bill, work must originate from Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, aligning with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, integrating local plans with broader infrastructure strategies.
There is no categorisation of panchayats under MGNREGA. The VB-G RAM G Bill, however, requires each panchayat to create plans based on its classification into categories A, B, or C, determined by development parameters, allowing for differentiated strategies according to local needs.
The VB-G RAM G Bill introduces a digital ecosystem for scheme management, including biometric authentication, GPS or mobile-based worksite monitoring, public disclosures, and artificial intelligence for planning, audits, and fraud risk mitigation. These measures aim to modernise scheme governance and accountability, which are not present in the current MGNREGA framework.