New Delhi [India], October 20 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday alleged that the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with VB-G RAM G was a “surgical strike” on the social safety net protecting rural India, citing reports of alleged irregularities in employment records and workers’ wages in Maharashtra.
In a post on X, Ramesh said Beed and other districts in Maharashtra were facing their worst drought in a decade and alleged that the replacement of MGNREGA had weakened the support available to rural workers during times of distress.
https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/2112412731714548198
“Beed and other districts in Maharashtra are facing the worst drought in a decade. MGNREGA was the guarantee of support in such times of extreme distress. But its replacement with VB-G RAM G is nothing less than a surgical strike on the social safety net that protected rural India,” he wrote.
Referring to a field-level investigation published by an Indian website, the Congress leader alleged that villagers had not received work for months despite official records showing them as employed.
Ramesh further alleged that similar cases involving fake attendance and clone application scams had also been reported in Uttar Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states.
“This detailed field-level investigation by a Scroll reporter found that most villagers had not worked in months, despite being shown as working on paper. Instead, local politicians are pocketing their wages – no doubt belonging to the ruling party,” the post read.
“Evidence of such fake attendance and clone app scams in UP and other BJP-ruled states has also been revealed in the media. This is not just corruption, but systemic theft of workers’ wages. The Vote Chori Sarkaar has perfected theft of rural wages also,” the post read.
The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or the VB-G RAM G Act, came into effect on July 1. The centrally sponsored welfare schemes were passed in the Winter Session of Parliament in 2025.
The legislation replaced the 100-day employment guarantee with a 125-day guarantee. However, the Opposition has criticised the legislation for removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme and bringing in the 60:40 share of funds between the Centre and States. (ANI)
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