The Trinamool Congress on Monday came out strongly against a proposed Central government Bill that seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with party leaders saying it would be “strongly opposed”.
The NDA government’s proposed Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill or VB-G RAM G BILL, 2025, aims to increase the guaranteed wage employment for rural households from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year. However, the Bill also proposes greater financial responsibility for states by introducing provisions for sharing the funding burden.
The Bill further proposes, for the first time, a pause in employment guarantee for “a total period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting”, during which no work will be undertaken. The proposed legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.
State Panchayat Minister Pradip Majumder said, “It has no relevance to us. What type of financial burden are you talking about? What will we do with the name? They stopped our legitimate dues for more than three years. According to Central government data, Rs 65 crore was siphoned in Gujarat, Rs 48 crore in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 24 crore in Maharashtra. Why was Section 27 not imposed on them? What kind of impact will it have on us? They don’t even bother about West Bengal.”
The Centre recently ordered the resumption of MGNREGA in West Bengal with “immediate effect” nearly three years after suspending its implementation in the state, while imposing what it termed “special conditions and regulatory measures”.
The Union Ministry of Rural Development had issued an order on December 6 in compliance with directions of the Calcutta High Court, stating that “the Department of Rural Development hereby resumes the prospective implementation of the MGNREGA in the State of West Bengal with immediate effect.” The order was also communicated to the state government.
However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee last week tore up a note outlining the new MGNREGA conditions at a public meeting in Cooch Behar, calling it a “valueless and insulting” diktat. She said the state would run its own employment scheme without seeking “Delhi’s charity”.
Addressing a rally at Ras Mela Ground in the district, Banerjee said, “Day before yesterday, we received a letter stating that starting December 6, we must submit a quarterly labour budget. They (Centre) have imposed a condition. But where is the time to show it? This is December, and the election is due early next year. Then they said training has to be provided.”
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on the new bill, “Is the Central government trying to remove the name of Mahatma Gandhi ji completely from MGNREGA? If the name of the proposed Bill, which is to be placed in Parliament tomorrow, is correct, then this dangerous trend will be opposed strongly.”