Punjab News: CM Mann angry over Centre’s VB-G RAM G scheme, calls changes in MNREGA an attack on the poor – Keeping an eye on every movement of the media world.

Punjab News: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday reacted sharply to the central government’s decision to replace MNREGA with VB-G RAM G (Vikat Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission Rural) scheme. Terming it a direct attack on the livelihood of the poor, the Chief Minister said that the BJP government is bent upon removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi as well as destroying the basic spirit of the scheme. Mann announced that the state government will convene a special session of the Punjab Assembly in the second week of January to raise the voice of Punjabis on the issue. This decision has been taken after the meeting of top leaders including Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

While addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Minister Mann strongly attacked the policies of the Central Government. He said, “The BJP government at the Center is busy changing the names of railway stations and cities. I fear that they may also change the name of the country to Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar.” Mann stressed that change doesn’t just come by changing names, but by doing real work. Giving an example, he said that if a journalist is named Messi, will people come to Chandigarh to see him? The Chief Minister clarified that no matter what the name of the scheme is, the workers should get their wages on time and it should go to the right person.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the VB-G RAMG Bill amid intense opposition from the opposition after nearly 14 hours of debate. Under this new law, rural families will be given employment guarantee of 125 days every year instead of 100 days. However, the opposition alleges that this change is only on paper. In fact, there has been a change in the funding model of the scheme, where earlier the central government used to bear 100 per cent of the expenditure, now the states will have to contribute 40 per cent. This 60:40 Centre-State fund sharing model could prove to be a big challenge for financially strapped states like Punjab.

Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Neel Garg has termed the bill as a “planned fraud”. He said the Modi government has consistently misled the public through hollow slogans and political theatrics, while welfare guarantees for the poorest sections of the society are being systematically weakened. Garg clarified that it is not just an issue of changing the name or removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi, but the Center has actually sounded the death knell of MNREGA and is trying to hide its anti-worker agenda behind TV debates and distractions. He raised the question that how will rural laborers now reach employment.

Many important changes have been made in the new bill which have become a matter of concern. First, demand-based budget allocation has been replaced with “normative funding”, in which the central government will decide state-wise budgets based on pre-determined criteria. Second, a mandatory 60-day “no work period” has been implemented to ensure availability of farm labour. Third, employment will be available only in areas notified by the central government, thereby weakening the legal guarantee. Fourth, unemployment allowance will be mandatory if work is not found within 15 days, but its implementation is doubtful. Experts believe that these changes will turn the rights-based scheme into a discretionary scheme.

Various organizations across Punjab have started protesting against the replacement of MNREGA. On Wednesday, Punjab farm labor unions burnt effigies of the central government in protest against this in Bathinda, Moga, Muktsar, Faridkot and Sangrur. Laxman Singh Savewal, general secretary of Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said that the change in the scheme will take away assured employment in rural areas and it is being brought to erase the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Labor leaders have warned that if this bill is implemented, the last line of defense for the rural poor will also be destroyed.

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Opposition parties also strongly opposed this bill in Parliament. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that this bill is not just about changing the name of MNREGA, but it is a conspiracy of BJP-RSS to abolish MNREGA. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that if some political parties fail to respect the national icon, her government will do so. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also accused the BJP-led central government of undermining the livelihood of the poor through proposed changes in the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

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The MNREGA scheme was established in 2005 under the UPA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This scheme has provided guaranteed employment to crores of families in rural India in the last 20 years. Since 2006, approximately Rs 11 lakh crore has been given directly as wages to rural families and employment of 1200 crore person-days has been generated. Every year an average of 5 crore families have got employment. In its 2014 report, the World Bank described MNREGA as “a shining example of rural development”. Now questions have been raised on the future of this scheme.

Also read: Pace of development of Punjab, Vice Chairperson met the Chief Minister and expressed gratitude for the new responsibility.

According to Punjab government sources, in the special session to be held in January, the state government will demand from the Center to either withdraw the bill or address the concerns of the states. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made it clear that the Punjab government will fight for the rights of the poor and raise the voice of Punjabis against this “atrocity”. He said that it is not important to change the name of the scheme, but it is important to ensure that rural laborers get their rights and employment guarantee remains.