VB-G RAM G Act will severely affect gram panchayats, says Dinesh Gundu Rao

Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, enacted by the NDA government at the Centre, will severely affect gram panchayats.

Speaking to reporters at the District Congress office here, Mr. Rao said the VB-G RAM G Act, which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, would considerably curtail funding to gram panchayats that heavily depended on MGNREGA to undertake several works. The Congress would challenge the new Act before the courts concerned while taking the issue to the people’s court too highlighting the adverse effects of the new Act.

The Minister said the Congress and the UPA had brought in several legislation strengthening the common man, including the Right to Information Act, the Right to Education Act, the MGNREGA, the Lokpal Act, the National Food Security Act, Forest Rights Act., etc. On the other hand, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government not only failed to bring in any legislation worth mentioning to strengthen the life of the common man, but also has been diluting many pro-people legislations, he said.

No guarantee

While the MGNREGA had guaranteed employment for rural people for 100 days, the VB-G RAM G Act has diluted the guarantee to only a Centrally-sponsored scheme. The Centre entirely funded the MGNREGA, while the new Act limits Centre’s share only to 60%, leaving the rest to be borne by State governments.

Calling the new Act an act of autocracy, Mr. Rao said the Centre did not consult stakeholder States before introducing the new legislation. The Centre also did not come out with the drawbacks of the MGNREGA and explained where it failed, if at all the scheme was a failure. Worldwide, the MGNREGA was being lauded for its impact on rural employment generation, the Minister stated. It had benefited 19.28 crore people across the country in 2024-25 when severe drought prevailed, he added.

He also alleged that the Sangh Parivar and the BJP had always nursed a grudge against Mahatma Gandhi, and thus the Centre dropped the name of the scheme while introducing the new legislation.

MLC Ivan D’Souza and other senior leaders were present.