 Summary of this article
- The state assembly bucks Centre’s new G-RAM-G framework, voting to keep MGNREGA unchanged amid concerns over rural employment and state finances.
- Assembly passes a resolution, urges the Centre to roll back the proposed VB-G-RAM-G changes.
- Critics say the new framework weakens the guarantee of 100 days of work, linking employment to targets and increasing states’ share to 40 per cent.
Opposition to the G-RAM-G is growing stronger in several states across the country. Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Punjab have already passed resolutions in their assemblies against the proposed changes. Now Jharkhand has also joined this list. On the last day of the Jharkhand Assembly’s budget session on March 18, a resolution was passed by voice vote to continue MGNREGA instead of replacing it with the VB-G RAM-G framework. The Assembly also decided to send a proposal to the central government requesting that no changes be made to the scheme.
During the discussion, Jharkhand’s Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh said in the House that MGNREGA is a lifeline for the poor and rural workers and that any kind of interference in the scheme will not be tolerated. She also urged the Centre to increase the guaranteed employment under MGNREGA from 100 days to 150 days so that people in rural areas can get more work and their livelihoods can become stronger. At the same time, she made it clear that the law should remain unchanged.
The Government of India has renamed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as VB-G RAM-G — Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), which is being referred to as G-RAM-G. Although the original law has not been formally amended, the nature of its implementation has been altered. The most significant change relates to the guarantee of 100 days of employment. Earlier, this guarantee functioned as a demand-based legal right of workers, under which the government was required to provide work within 15 days. Under the G-RAM-G framework, employment is now being linked to government targets, budget allocations and notified areas.
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This shift has drawn criticism from the Congress, non-BJP ruled states, and several experts associated with MGNREGA. They argue that the change weakens the guarantee of 100 days of employment in practice and converts a legal entitlement into a scheme-based arrangement. There is also concern over the revised funding structure. Under the new framework, most states will now have to bear 40 per cent of the wage component under the scheme, which many believe will weaken implementation in financially constrained states.
Earlier, expenditure under MGNREGA was shared between the Centre and the states in a 90:10 ratio. This has now been changed to 60:40. Along with this, a 60-day “no work” window has also been introduced, meaning that workers will not be able to demand employment during two months of the agricultural season. Critics argue that this provision will further limit access to work and reduce the effective scope of the scheme.
In Jharkhand, one of the long-standing concerns regarding MGNREGA has been delays in wage payments. According to the law, workers are supposed to receive payment within 15 days of completing work recorded in the muster roll. In practice, however, payments often take several months. The state government has repeatedly argued that these delays are linked to the non-release of funds by the Centre.
After the introduction of G-RAM-G, Chief Minister Hemant Soren accused the central government of not releasing thousands of crores of rupees due to Jharkhand under MGNREGA, which, according to him, has affected the implementation of the scheme in the state. This has also raised questions about how the state government will manage the increased financial responsibility if the revised funding structure comes into effect. When the state is already facing difficulties in meeting its earlier 10 per cent share on time, the shift to a 40 per cent contribution could significantly increase the burden.
Media reports suggest that Jharkhand is already facing financial stress. The ruling parties, Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), have alleged that nearly Rs 1.36 lakh crore in grants and scheme-related funds due to the state from the Centre have not been released. According to them, this has affected payments under several welfare programmes, including MGNREGA.
In this context, questions are being raised about what options the state government will have if the Centre does not accept Jharkhand’s proposal to continue the scheme in its existing form. Prakash Rana, a master trainer with the Jharkhand Panchayati Raj Department and a person familiar with the MGNREGA law, believes that the operational structure of the scheme has already undergone major changes. According to him, if the state government refuses to implement the provisions introduced under G-RAM-G but still expects financial support from the Centre under the earlier framework, it is unlikely that such a request will be accepted.
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BY Outlook Web Bureau |
