Congress on Sunday flagged that several states have raised concerns regarding MGNREGA-substitute VB G RAM G Act, and said the new law would guarantee only centralisation and further financial stress on states.

The Congress on Sunday flagged that several states have raised concerns regarding MGNREGA-substitute VB G RAM G Act, and said the new law would guarantee only centralisation and further financial stress on states.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Modi government, “vengeful and petty” as ever, bulldozed the repeal of MGNREGA through Parliament without any thorough consultation with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development, state governments, or other relevant stakeholders.

Earlier also Jairam Ramesh had highlighted that the 60:40 funding split (Centre vs. State) in the VB-G RAM G Act places an unsustainable financial burden on state governments, even drawing complaints from BJP-governed states.

Now it emerges that several states have raised concerns regarding its substitute VB G RAM G scheduled for launch from July 1, Ramesh said on X.BJP-governed states like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttarakhand have opposed the huge additional expenditure burden that is set to be levied on states, he said.

Four other state governments have opposed the blackout period of the scheme during the peak agricultural season, Ramesh said, adding at least five states have sought an increase in the wages of rural workers.The Rural Development Minister’s (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) own home state Madhya Pradesh is voicing concerns around the Modi government’s new pet project, Ramesh said.

“MGNREGA guaranteed right to work derived from the Constitution. VB G RAM G will guarantee only centralisation and further financial stress on states,” Ramesh said.The Congress has alleged that the only guarantee that the law offers is that of “extreme centralisation” and “weakening of the bargaining power of rural labour”.

The Centre had announced that the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act will come into force across the country from July 1, replacing the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The new Act will have a fresh framework that promises 125 days of statutory wage employment to rural households.

 The Congress party has been all through strongly opposing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Act, which replaced the 20-year-old MGNREGA program. They  spearheaded national protests, including the MGNREGA Bachao Sangram movement, demanding the complete withdrawal of the Act and the restoration of MGNREGA . Leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge have strongly criticized the Modi government for dropping Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the landmark rural employment scheme, framing it as an attempt to erase his legacy and vision.