Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram criticized the BJP-led NDA government on Friday for replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new Viksit Bharat-G Ram G Act, calling it a detrimental move. Speaking to reporters in Pudukottai, Chidambaram accused the NDA government of effectively “burying” MGNREGA, which was introduced by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to create a nationwide framework for rural employment generation.
He argued that the new Act stands in stark contrast to the UPA’s 100-day job guarantee scheme. According to Chidambaram, the NDA’s legislation would severely impact the most disadvantaged sections of society, noting that they “will never forgive the Centre” for this decision. The former minister drew a comparison between the two acts, stating that MGNREGA was “demand-driven,” while the new Act is “supply-driven.” Under MGNREGA, the Centre was accountable for fully disbursing wages, whereas the new Act splits wage costs between the Centre and states at a ratio of 60:40.
Chidambaram raised concerns about the financial burden this shift imposes on already struggling state governments, which often require approval from the Centre for loans. He questioned how many states would be able to implement the new scheme, given their obligation to cover 40% of the costs. He highlighted that the financial implications of this statutory change would significantly strain state resources.
Furthermore, Chidambaram emphasized that while MGNREGA provided a guaranteed employment scheme, the NDA’s new framework lacks such assurances from either the Centre or the states. In a sharp critique of the NDA government, he stated that it had “murdered” MGNREGA, impacting around 12 crore poor families reliant on the 100-day job guarantee, 8.6 crore of whom possess job cards.
He noted that the NDA government has consistently failed to deliver the promised 100 days of work under MGNREGA, instead providing an average of just 50 days. With pending wage payments amounting to several crores, Chidambaram argued that this issue would play a crucial role in the upcoming assembly elections.
As the political landscape shapes up ahead of the elections, the discussion around rural employment and government accountability remains vital, underscoring the significant ramifications of the NDA’s policy shifts on the country’s poorest citizens.
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/nda-government-has-buried-mgnrega-by-bringing-in-a-new-act-chidambaram/article70439841.ece
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Publish Date: 2025-12-27 05:30:00
