Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticizes renaming and restructuring of MGNREGA scheme

The Hindu
The Hindu
1h ago
4 views
MGNREGA was renamed and restructured, increasing guaranteed work days but shifting job guarantees from a constitutional right to a fund-dependent scheme, drawing criticism from Sachin Pilot.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticizes renaming and restructuring of MGNREGA scheme
A What happened
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) was renamed to Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G Ram G) and amended to increase guaranteed work days from 100 to 125. Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticized these changes for dismantling the scheme's core promise of a legal job guarantee and for centralizing control over which areas qualify as rural. Pilot argues the new Act curtails the constitutional right to work, disempowers local gram panchayats, reduces state funding, and transforms the scheme into a discretionary welfare program from a legal entitlement. He emphasized MGNREGA's crucial role during the COVID-19 crisis as a livelihood lifeline and questioned the government’s motive behind renaming and restructuring the scheme.
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Key insights

  • 1

    Shift from legal right to discretionary scheme: Changing MGNREGA from a constitutionally backed legal job guarantee to a fund-dependent program reduces rural workers' enforceable rights, increasing vulnerability to political and budgetary decisions.

  • 2

    Centralization of rural area designation: The new Act vests the Center with exclusive power to define rural areas, potentially limiting local governance roles and altering job distribution priorities away from gram panchayats' oversight.

  • 3

    Political implications of renaming and restructuring: Renaming MGNREGA and restructuring it can be seen as an attempt to diminish the legacy of Congress-led governments and reshape rural employment policy along current ruling party preferences.

Takeaways

The renaming and structural changes to MGNREGA significantly alter its legal and operational framework, provoking political opposition and raising concerns about the future of rural employment rights in India.

Topics

Business & Markets Economy World & Politics Policy & Regulation Governance Development

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