CM urges PM to halt VB–G Ram G Act, cites threat to MGNREGA | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to suspend the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G Ram G) Act, saying it dilutes the rural employment guarantee framework and weakens cooperative federalism.In a letter to the PM, Siddaramaiah objected to the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), describing it as a demand-driven, rights-based safety net for rural households. He warned that the new law defeats the intent of an employment guarantee despite increasing the promised work from 100 to 125 days.

The CM said the guarantee is not backed by assured planning or funding, with the Centre’s liability capped at a normative allocation for notified areas and the Centre contributing only 60 % of this amount in most states. “The so-called legal guarantee of 125 days is not absolute,” he said, adding that gram panchayats could be left without funds despite genuine demand.He also objected to provisions allowing the Centre to fix state-wise allocations annually based on parameters not specified in the law or finalised through consultation. Such an approach, he said, converts a demand-driven programme into a supply-driven, top-down system, unlike MGNREGA where labour budgets originate at the gram panchayat level.Flagging the revised funding pattern, he said the Centre-state sharing ratio has shifted from 90:10 to 60:40, placing added strain on state finances. States could be fully liable for expenditure beyond their normative allocation, making the guarantee dependent on fiscal capacity rather than demand, he said.The CM opposed the requirement to pre-notify a 60-day no-work period during peak agricultural seasons, warning it could reduce employment, suppress wages and increase distress migration. Siddaramaiah said the new framework shifts the approach from a “right to work” to “work only if permitted”, curtails year-round employment, and increases reliance on technology and contractor-led projects, potentially excluding marginalised communities. He described the implementation as arbitrary and rushed, said it violated constitutional provisions mandating consultation with states, and opposed the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the law, calling MGNREGA a globally recognised, rights-based programme rooted in the principles of Gram Swaraj and Antyodaya.