Parliament on Thursday (December 18) passed the Vikas Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, which is being called G RAM G. The bill will replace the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and provide for 125 days of wage employment in rural areas every year. During the passage of the bill, the opposition lodged strong protests in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha houses.
The bill was passed by voice vote after the debate in Rajya Sabha after midnight. A few hours before this, the Lok Sabha had also approved it. Opposition parties objected to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA and alleged that the central government was passing the financial burden of the scheme onto the states. The protesting members in Rajya Sabha demanded withdrawal of the bill, raised anti-government slogans and tore copies of the bill. Many MPs also walked out of the House, on which Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan warned him.
After the passage of the bill, opposition parties staged a protest outside the Constitution House of the Parliament complex and alleged that the law weakens the rural economy. The opposition also demanded to send it to the standing committee. Trinamool Congress MPs decided to hold a 12-hour protest on the steps of the Constitution House, while the opposition announced a nationwide agitation.
Responding to the nearly five-hour debate in the Rajya Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan defended the bill. “This bill is very important as it will create employment opportunities, help in the development of rural India and take the country forward,” he said. Chauhan alleged that Congress has used Mahatma Gandhi’s name for political gains and has repeatedly hurt his ideals.
He further said, “I listened to the opposition patiently for so many hours and expected them to listen to me. To run away after making allegations is like killing the dreams and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.” The minister claimed that there was corruption in MGNREGS during the UPA regime and there was not enough expenditure on materials for the sanctioned works.
Chouhan also said that the rural employment scheme was started in 2005 and in 2009, Congress added Mahatma Gandhi’s name to it for electoral gains. “They use Mahatma Gandhi’s name for politics. If anyone has killed Gandhi’s ideals, it is the Congress,” he said, citing the Emergency, alleged scams and disruptions in Parliament.
Even during the eight-hour debate in the Lok Sabha, opposition MPs tore papers and raised slogans. Responding, the minister said the law has been brought after extensive deliberations and aims to spend Rs 10-11 lakh crore on water conservation, basic rural and livelihood infrastructure and special projects to deal with extreme weather events.
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