Punjab Assembly passes resolution against G RAM G; demands restoration of MGNREGA
Punjab Assembly passes resolution against G RAM G; demands restoration of MGNREGA
M.U.H
31/12/202518
xThe Punjab assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution seeking a recall of the new rural employment law Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G), accusing the BJP-led central government of ‘taking away’ the livelihoods of the poor and Dalit labourers under a ‘deliberate conspiracy’.
Seeking restoration of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to its original right-based form, the ruling AAP leaders called the Centre’s move “an attack on the federal structure”. Punjab is the first state in the country to hold a special session and pass a resolution against the new law.
Rural development and panchayat minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond tabled the resolution in the House for discussion.
“The availability of employment will no longer rely on the labourer’s demand but will depend on the allocations made by the Government of India according to pre-determined plans and budget limits. This transforms the legal right to employment into an administrative matter. The new law discusses paying wages in a 60:40 ratio and mandates weekly payments, but in practice, these changes will actually increase the financial burden on state governments,” the resolution said.
“This is a deliberate and dangerous conspiracy. The BJP central government has not only dismantled MGNREGA, but it has also taken away the livelihood of Dalit labourers,” the resolution further claimed.
“In a state like Punjab, where MGNREGA primarily acts as a safety net for the poorest rural households, the impact of the VB-G RAM G Act could be even more severe,” the resolution further added.
It further contended that the peak agricultural season in Punjab often depends on migrant labourers; halting work under the new scheme will not alleviate the agricultural labour crisis; instead, it will increase the insecurity faced by local poor labourers.
“This House recommends that the state government take up the matter with the Government of India to maintain the demand-based, rights-based and fully centrally sponsored structure of MGNREGA and reconsider those provisions of the Viksit Bharat- Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act which impose undue financial burden on the states and diluted the right to employment of rural labourers,” it added.
Govt, Oppn lock horns over politicising issue
The House witnessed heated exchanges between members of the treasury and opposition benches over the implementation of the MGNREGA in the state. According to the opposition, the state government is politicising the matter and projecting MGNREGA as a Dalit-centric scheme, whereas the scheme is for rural poor and landless labourers.
Lone BJP MLA and the Punjab BJP’s working president, Ashwani Sharma, opposed the resolution and said, “The new law offers a guarantee of 125 days of work, whereas it was 100 days under MGNREGA.”
Concluding the discussion, chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the new law has usurped the rights of the poor and downtrodden.
“I do not request the Centre to recall the new law, but I want a strong-worded message be sent to them, that by bringing in the new law, the poor and downtrodden have been usurped of their right to work and earn,’ he said.
The CM said that during 10 years (2007–17) of the SAD-BJP government, ₹1,988 crore was spent on MGNREGA wages, ₹4,708 crore during five years (2017–22) of the Congress government, and the AAP government, which assumed power in 2022, has so far spent ₹5,031 crore. He announced the government will take the fight for the cause of the downtrodden to every village and ensure that the BJP is not allowed to enter the rural Punjab.
A group of rural workers who have been beneficiaries of the MNREGA were also invited to witness the proceedings of the special session. The state government has also procured 10 lakh signatures seeking the recall of the new law.
AAP ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO, Aman Arora, Lal Chand Kataruchak, and Harpal Singh Cheema also demanded that the new law be recalled.
“Out of 30.22 lakh MGNREGA job cards in Punjab, 70% are Dalits. We have no problem with the name of the new law; the provisions of the Act have been such that it seems the Centre is hiding behind Lord Ram to usurp the rights of the poor,” Cheema said.
A futile exercise, says Bajwa
The Congress termed the special sessions as a farce and a futile exercise. “The state government has been wasting time by holding such sessions in the past also, but doesn’t take concrete actions on matters such as Operation Lotus, recruitment of Agniveers in armed forces, dilution of Punjab’s claim in the Bhakra Beas Management Board, etc,” said the leader of opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh said that, against the 100-day employment guarantee scheme, in the first three years of the AAP government, the average work given was 38 days, which in the current year has been reduced to 26 days.
Participating in the debate, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Manpreet Singh Ayali said that the very essence of the Act has been scuttled by making it mandatory that states will contribute 40% of the total funds to be spent on rural employment. “Where will cash-strapped states bring funds to contribute to the scheme?” he asked. According to independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh, the MNREGA scheme was systematically killed by stopping the release of funds.
