Minister opposes VB-G RAM G Act, seeks its rollback

In-charge Minister of Mysuru territory H.C. Mahadevappa powerfully opposed the Centre’s determination of repealing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replacing it with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, terming the determination a “national insult” to Mahatma Gandhi and an “anti-poor” measure.

Addressing a property league present connected January 12, the Minister demanded that the Centre instantly rotation backmost the caller Act, alleging that it snatches distant the legally guaranteed close to enactment for crores of agrarian mediocre crossed the country.

He criticised the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s sanction from the legislation, stating that Gandhi was revered globally for his non-violence question and that erasing his sanction has brought disrepute to the federation astatine the planetary level.

Dr. Mahadevappa alleged that the VB-G RAM G Act was introduced successful haste without consulting the States. He said the authorities weakens decentralisation by allegedly curtailing the law powers of gram panchayats and placing them nether the nonstop power of the Centre.

“The assurance of 100 days of enactment has go uncertain, arsenic the caller Act does not warrant employment during the harvesting season,” helium claimed.

Highlighting the value of MGNREGA, the Minister recalled that the scheme, introduced during the UPA authorities led by erstwhile Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, played a important relation successful supporting migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said astir 19 crore radical nationwide had benefited from the strategy during that period, with astir 12 crore people, including 28% of SCs/STs and six crore women babelike connected it crossed the country. Around 71 lakh beneficiaries were successful Karnataka alone. More than 50% of the workers nether the strategy are women, some astatine the nationalist and State levels, helium added.

Accusing the BJP of undermining the decentralisation of power, Dr. Mahadevappa alleged that the NDA authorities had systematically removed Mahatma Gandhi’s sanction from past and targeted respective eminent personalities. “The caller Act is simply a menace to antiauthoritarian principles,” helium alleged.

He besides pointed retired that nether the caller legislation, States volition beryllium required to carnivore 40% of the funding, compared to conscionable 10% earlier, alleging that the determination was intended to weaken the fiscal presumption of States. “The close to enactment has been violated, and the Centre is behaving successful a dictatorial mode by imposing its decisions connected States,” helium charged, accusing the Centre of violating political, economic, and law principles, isolated from the principles of Gram Swaraj and Antyodaya.

Mysuru District Congress president B.J. Vijaykumar and Mysuru City Congress president R. Murthy were present.