Renaming MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G Disrespecting Mahatma : Cong

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Dec 22: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has denounced the replacement of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan, BT Road here today, former Chief Minister and CLP leader Okram Ibobi said the NDA Government led by BJP is insulting Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, by replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G Bill.
Questioning what was driving BJP to be hypercritical of Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress party, Ibobi asserted that BJP’s policy will not last long.  
MGNREGA was passed by the Parliament in 2005  during the UPA Government with the objective of translating the ideology and principle of Gandhiji into action.
Different countries hailed MGNREGA as one of the biggest employment schemes in the whole world, he said.
Through MGNREGA, the Union Government promised at least 100 days of work in a year in rural areas across the country.
The Act was enacted in line with Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology that India can never develop without developing its rural areas, Ibobi said.
However, the NDA Government came up with the idea of replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G Bill and the Bill was passed by both the Houses of Parliament. The President has also given her assent to the Bill.
It deserves appreciation that the new Act promises 125 days of work in a year but the funding pattern of 60:40 which should be shared between the Union Government and State Governments will prove to be a big burden to States with limited resources like Manipur, Ibobi said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must state the intention and motive of the NDA Government for replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G, he said. MPCC president K Meghachandra remarked that unlike MGNREGA, VB-G RAM G does not provide a right based guarantee. Citizens could lodge complaints at Courts when they were not given works under MGNREGA but VB-G RAM G does not have any such provision, Meghachandra said.