Centre Rebuts Criticism of VB-G RAM G Act, Says Rural Employment Guarantee Strengthened
VB-G RAM G Act Strengthens Rural Livelihoods, Government Responds to Criticism: The Union government has strongly rebutted criticism surrounding the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G-RAM-G] Act, asserting that the new framework strengthens—not weakens—India’s rural employment system. Officials clarified that the Act builds upon decades of welfare architecture while introducing reforms aimed at transparency, fiscal discipline, and durable rural development.
According to the government, the VB-G-RAM-G Act is designed to move beyond symbolism and focus on dignity of labour, accountability, and genuine rural empowerment, while retaining all core worker protections that existed earlier.
Addressing concerns over the mandatory 60-day pause in work, the Centre clarified that the provision is intended to ensure labour availability during peak agricultural seasons. Officials recalled that former Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had written multiple times to the then Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, recommending an off-season of at least three months under MGNREGA. Under the new law, states retain complete autonomy to decide the timing of the 60-day pause based on local sowing and harvesting cycles.
On cost-sharing, the government pointed out that states have historically borne a portion of material costs. Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had also advocated greater state participation, with the Centre earlier bearing 75 per cent of material costs and states contributing the remaining 25 per cent. Officials said proportionate cost-sharing ensures fiscal discipline, strengthens state ownership of projects, and promotes better planning, execution, and maintenance of rural assets.
Points of the Government’s Rebuttal
- Strengthening, Not Diluting, Rural Employment
The Act builds on the existing rural employment framework, prioritising transparency, accountability, and outcome-based planning over populist optics. - Mandatory 60-Day Pause Explained
The provision for a 60-day pause in work is intended to ensure labour availability during peak agricultural seasons. The government pointed out that former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had earlier recommended an off-season for rural employment schemes. States have full authority to decide the timing of this pause based on local sowing and harvesting cycles. - State Cost-Sharing Ensures Ownership
The Centre defended cost-sharing norms, noting that states have always borne part of the material cost. Greater financial participation by states encourages responsible planning, execution, and maintenance of assets while ensuring fiscal discipline. - Shift from Open-Ended Demand to Planned Supply
Unlike the earlier open-ended demand-based system constrained by budget ceilings, work under the new Act will be planned through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, consolidated at higher administrative levels and integrated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. Jobs will be created only for pre-approved assets. - Worker Entitlements Fully Protected
States are legally obligated to provide at least 125 days of employment annually, an increase from the earlier 100-day guarantee. If work is not provided within 15 days of demand, unemployment allowance remains mandatory. - Targeted Allocation to Reduce Corruption
Centrally planned work allocation under the National Rural Infrastructure Stack will be data-driven and systematic, reducing arbitrariness and local-level corruption. - Changing Rural Realities Necessitate Reform
With rural poverty declining from 25.7% in 2011–12 to 4.86% in 2023–24, the government said employment structures must evolve. Biometric attendance and India Stack integration help eliminate ghost beneficiaries and dormant job cards. - Name Change Does Not Affect Rights
The government dismissed criticism over renaming the scheme, stating that worker entitlements, grievance redressal mechanisms, and safeguards remain unchanged. Claims that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name weakens moral authority were termed subjective. - Digital Payments to Plug Leakages
Earlier manual verification systems were prone to fraud and fund diversion. With Aadhaar seeding and the National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS) now fully operational across states and UTs, wages are transferred directly to workers’ bank accounts. - Wage Protection and Inflation Indexing
The Act guarantees that wages cannot fall below prevailing rates and can only be revised upward. It also empowers the Centre to update wage calculations using improved inflation indices without repeated legislative amendments. - Outcome-Based Spending and Infrastructure Alignment
Integration with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan ensures coordinated development, better sequencing of works, and durable asset creation at the local level. - Higher Employment Guarantee
By increasing the employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days, the Act strengthens rural livelihood security, a step the government noted was not taken during earlier administrations despite rising inflation.
The Act marks a shift from an open-ended, demand-based system—often constrained by budget ceilings—to a planned supply-based approach. Rural works will now be prepared through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, consolidated at block, district, and state levels, and integrated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. Employment will be generated only for pre-approved assets, ensuring efficiency and accountability. States are legally mandated to provide at least 125 days of employment annually, an increase from the earlier 100-day guarantee, with the option to extend further based on capacity.
The government reaffirmed that worker entitlements remain fully protected. If employment is not provided within 15 days of demand, unemployment allowance continues to be mandatory. Even when states exceed normative allocations, officials stressed, workers’ rights remain unaffected.
The Centre maintains that the VB-G-RAM-G Act modernises rural employment governance while fully protecting workers’ legal rights. Officials argue that the reforms promote transparency, fiscal responsibility, and long-term rural development, positioning the scheme as a forward-looking evolution rather than a rollback of social security.
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