Bhubaneswar: Days after the Centre introduced the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Congress on Monday announced a nationwide campaign titled ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ to oppose the move.
The party accused the Union government of dismantling a landmark rights-based welfare programme that has provided employment security to millions of rural households over the past two decades. Congress leaders said the proposed replacement weakens the legal guarantee of employment and could adversely affect rural livelihoods, particularly for marginalised communities.
According to the party, the ‘Save MGNREGA’ campaign will be conducted in three phases, beginning January 10, and will involve mass mobilisation, public meetings, protests, and awareness programmes across rural India. The campaign aims to highlight what the Congress describes as the “erosion of workers’ rights” and to pressure the government into withdrawing the new scheme.
Senior Congress leaders said MGNREGA is not merely a welfare programme but a statutory entitlement that ensures dignity of labour, transparency, and accountability. They argued that replacing it with a mission-mode scheme risks turning guaranteed employment into a discretionary benefit.
The Centre, however, has maintained that VB-G RAM G is designed to improve efficiency, enhance skill development, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities in rural areas, aligning with its broader vision of a “Viksit Bharat.”
The political confrontation over rural employment is expected to intensify in the coming weeks as the Congress rolls out its campaign nationwide, positioning MGNREGA as a key issue in its critique of the government’s rural development agenda.
-OdishaAge
