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VB-G RAM G is snatching away rural job rights: CM
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah urges support for Congress's protest to restore MGNREGA, citing job losses and weakened local governance due to VB-G-RAM-G.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday urged people in Karnataka to support the Congress party’s nationwide agitation seeking restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, saying that its discontinuation and replacement with the Viksit Bharat— Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G-RAM-G) had deprived millions of their livelihood and weakened local self-governance.
Speaking at the “MGNREGA Bachao” protest in Chikkaballapur on Monday, Siddaramaiah said, “The VB-G- RAM-G law is snatching away the employment rights of rural people. Until this law is repealed and MGNREGA is restored, people of the state must support the struggle launched by the Congress across the country.”
He expressed concern over the scale of impact, saying, “Nearly 16.12 crore (161.2 million) people have lost their jobs due to the discontinuation of MGNREGA. Of them, 53% are women and 28% belong to Scheduled Castes communities.”
Calling the scheme essential for rural livelihoods, he said, “Protecting MGNREGA has become extremely essential to safeguard the right to employment of rural workers. Its removal has adversely affected rural livelihoods and left gram panchayats without adequate work.”
Siddaramaiah said the original programme, introduced in 2005, was aimed at providing employment to labourers, small farmers, tribals and women. “There was no need to abolish MGNREGA. Several pro people laws that ensured education, food and information rights were also brought in during that period. But the present government is weakening these pro people laws,” he said.
He said over 121.6 million people had benefited from the scheme earlier, including large numbers of women and marginalised communities, and accused the Centre of taking away their rights by introducing a replacement law.
“The VB-G-RAM-G scheme must be completely repealed, MGNREGA must be reimplemented, and the people’s right to guaranteed employment and panchayat self-governance must be restored,” he said. He also demanded a statutory minimum wage of ₹400 per day under the scheme.
“Our agitation will not stop until these demands are fulfilled and employment security for rural workers is ensured,” he added, noting that Congress leaders across the country were participating in the protest demanding restoration of the Act.
